Padlock and Locksmith
by Cliched Oxymoron
Summary: In the two and a half years since KH ended, Riku has escaped and Sora has an unlikely companion. But can the two of them find one another again? SR and others
1. chapter the 1st

A/N: Hello all! I'm so happy that you've decided to check out my KH fanfiction! I hope I live up to your expectations, except for those of you who expect this to be crappy. This is my first published fanfiction, but it sure isn't the first I've worked on! I'm going to tell you right now that I probably won't be someone who updates regularly. I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I sure wish I did! This story is a Sora/Riku, Ansem/Eclipse (not OC and not from Demon Diary!), Yuffie/Vincent, and maybe a little Leon/Cloud/Aeris triangle, leaning more to present Leon/Cloud and past Cloud/Aeris. Yes! You can expect both gay and straight pairings in this fanfiction!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

**BTW:** This story takes place as if Chain of Memories, and KH2 don't happen. BTW I have no idea what I'm doing, so if this looks all funky, I'm sorry!

Riku sat on the roof of the accessory shop in Traverse Town, staring longingly at the stars with his sky-blue eyes. The tiny spots of light dotted the otherwise empty sky, but even if they weren't there, the void would still be outmatched by the one in Riku's heart. Had someone known the young man before he faced a trial by darkness and the torture of being locked in Kingdom Hearts, they would have been shocked at the drastic change in him. Where once stood an overconfident teenager, was now replaced with a mature young man, who was haunted by memories and the absence of the one he cared for most. Sometimes, Riku would compare himself to the Heartless menaces that the universe once faced, however, instead of being completely devoid of a heart, he'd just given it away to someone dear, long ago.

"Two years." Riku whispered. "Two years, six months, three weeks, and five days exactly." This had become an unwavering ritual for the silver-haired youth. Every night he would sit on the roof of Cid's shop, whether there were clear skies or it was pouring rain, and whisper out the amount of time it had been. The amount of time it had been since he'd first been shut in Kingdom Hearts. Since he'd last seen _him_, since he'd last seen the boy he'd loved in secret since he'd learned the simplest meaning of the concept.

"Sora…" He whispered and stood up, throwing his head back to face the sky. "SORA!" He yelled, letting out all of the anguish that had built up within him. He fell to his knees and hugged himself, silent tears running down his cheeks. "Why did you have to go?" he murmured. "Why did you have to leave me?"

Riku wasn't sure how long he was like that, however, a voice from behind eventually caught his attention. "Riku? Are you still up here?" The silver-haired young man turned to see Cloud standing by the ladder Riku had set up to get on the roof. The blond man scratched his head.

"So, I take it Sora didn't return today either." He stated bluntly. Riku only responded by turning away. "Hey, he'll come back, I'm sure of it!" Cloud said positively. "In fact, I'll bet he shows up in another few days!"

"Yeah…" Riku replied "he'll be here soon…"

"That's right! In fact I even bet he'll be here tomorrow!" Cloud retorted enthusiastically. "Come inside now though, it's freezing cold and almost midnight. You should get some sleep." Riku nodded and trudged to the house in the third district. It had used to be vacant, but after some renovating and enlarging it had become sort of apartment where Riku, Cloud, and the others that had been involved with the Heartless now lived. The house was quiet; indicating that everyone else was asleep. Riku reached his room and collapsed on his bed, soon falling into a slumber with troubled dreams.

After Riku had left, Cloud stayed where he was for a little while, contemplating the troubled young man. Even though no one spoke of it, it was no secret that Riku was in love with absent Keyblade master. In the two and a half years Sora had been missing, Riku had become increasingly reclusive, and antisocial; everyone was worried that he might soon do something far too drastic to rid himself of the pain of loss.

"What are we going to do with him?" A stoic voiced questioned. Cloud turned to see Leon approaching him, the wielder of the Gunblade stopped when he was side by side with the blond swordsman.

"I'm not sure my friend. I hope for his sake at least, that Sora returns soon. We're all worried as to what might have caused his sudden disappearance, though none of us are as affected as Riku is." He told the dark haired man.

"That boy has been through so much for one his age, and that certainly doesn't help the situation any." Leon responded. "He's been used as a tool by the darkness, acted as a vessel for Ansem, was locked in Kingdom Hearts and tortured in who-knows-what-ways, and he now must face the world without the one he cares for the most."

"I'm confident that Sora will return though." Cloud said and turned towards Leon. "But if it's in time to stop a tragedy remains to be seen."

Riku woke in the morning, groggy and irritable from the few hours of troubled sleep he did have. His alarm clock was screaming itself hoarse in its daily atempt to get him to wake up. The silver-haired youth sleepily grabbed the wooden sword that was sitting next to the alarm on his bedside table, and whacked the clock, effectively silencing it.

Riku went about his morning routine without really paying attention to anything. After he'd taken his shower, brushed his teeth, got dressed, etc. he tromped into the kitchen and collapsed in a seat at the table. He wasn't the only one there; Yuffie sat at the table as well, semi-consciously sipping a cup of coffee. Cloud was asleep with his head on the table and a trickle of drool coming out of his mouth, Donald and Goofy were arguing about something trivial, and Aeris (A/N: I know in the game she was called Aerith, but I like Aeris better) was cooking something in the kitchen and humming softly. Cid had probably already left to open up shop, and Leon was no where to be found.

Riku sent a quick glare over to Donald and Goofy. They didn't live here with the rest of them, but rather back at Kingdom Castle; however, they were currently stationed here for a few days at the king's orders. Everyone had been very surprised when they showed up without Sora, but according to them, they hadn't seen him in about two and a half years as well. Donald had said that they had intended to stick with Sora and find King Mickey and Riku, but then Pluto had come with a letter saying that both the King and the silver-haired youth had escaped Kingdom Hearts, but were separated and the King wasn't sure what had become of the teenage boy.

He had also wanted Donald and Goofy to return to the castle at once and recount what had happened. He said Sora was welcome to come along, but as Donald said, the Keyblade master had declined, opting to continue his search for Riku alone. Needless to say, the duck and the dog were also very surprised to find Riku and Traverse Town and learn that he hadn't met with Sora since Kingdom Hearts. Riku hadn't ever really forgiven them for leaving his best friend.

However, any more reminiscing was delayed as Aeris set plates of breakfast in front of everyone. Cloud woke up for about three minutes before falling asleep again, his head in his eggs. Yuffie, thanks to the coffee, was a bundle of energy and wolfed the food down as fast as she could. Donald and Goofy stopped fighting and started eating as well. Riku however, only picked at his food.

Not that he would have had much time to eat anyway even if he did have an appetite as Leon suddenly burst through the front door, a very serious expression on his face. "Everyone! Get you weapons and come with me _immediately_!" He demanded.

"What's going on Squall?" Yuffie asked alarmed pulling out her conformer, as Riku pulled out his sword. "Why do we need our weapons?"

"It's Leon." He corrected automatically. "And you need them because there's two unidentified Gummi ships headed for traverse town. One's some distance behind the other."

"That still doesn't explain anything!" The ninja said irritably as she shook Cloud awake.

Leon sighed. "We have no idea who the second Gummi ship could possibly belong to, though it does seem to be well used to travel from what we can tell."

"And the first?" Aeris asked quietly, clutching her staff.

"It's one of the those that belong to the Heartless." He said quietly. Everyone gasped at this and held varying degrees of shock on their face. "Come on, we don't have time to waste. Let's go." Leon said simply drawing his own gunblade. Riku looked down at his sword; it was a fine blade, made of steel and was long and thin, but unyieldingly strong. The hilt was black, and ornamented with blue and red enamel; the blade itself had a very intricate and elegant design of an old fashion key on both sides. Riku had dubbed it 'Lock Smith,' and it was his own subtle tribute to the Keyblade Sora wielded.

_If the Heartless have truly returned, then hopefully so will Sora._ Was the only though running through Riku's mind. Though the thought of another Heartless invasion frightened him more then he would ever let on, the hope of Sora returning was a far more driving thought.

The silver-haired teen followed Cloud, who was gripping his immense Buster Sword, out the door and to the front of Cid's shop. The aged pilot was waiting for them. "Are they any closer?" Leon asked as he stopped.

"They're right on top of us!" Cid yelled. "The damn ship's going to land in a matter of minutes!" Any further conversation was stopped as the noise of the Heartless ship drowned out any other sound. It was right above the main square in the first district, looming like the destructive figure it was.

"Get ready." Cloud and Leon whispered together. Everyone fell into stance; Yuffie held her Conformer ready, Aeris gripped her staff, Cid had withdrawn his spear, Leon and Cloud stood next to one another, their blades gleaming in the artificial light of the street lamps. Riku's sword pulsed in reaction to the boost in his will, waiting to taste battle.

Pools of darkness appeared around the already evacuated square, bubbling with evil intent. Bright, empty, yellow eyes appeared and the creatures that owned them began to emerge. "So it begins." Leon snarled and tightened his grip on his blade. Heartless of every imaginable kind filled area waiting for the imminent battle. There was a drawn out pause, in which neither side moved.

"Liraga!" A tenor voice called out as the square was suddenly filled with a blinding light. Riku, Leon, Cloud, and the rest were forced to block their eyes to keep from being blinded. However, the targets of the attack, the Heartless were not so fortunate. All of them were completely obliterated, including the dark ship overhead.

"What the Hell!" Cid swore voicing just about everyone's thoughts.

"I suppose that was a little much." A new voice commented. "However, when faced with a host of Heartless like that and not given much time act does tend to narrow one's options, eh?" Riku blinked the colored spots from his eyes to better focus on the figure standing in the middle of the square. When he did see whom it was that had saved them, he wondered if he was still seeing things.

_There's no way… It couldn't be… _"Sora?"

A/N: Okay, you're probably thinking that it sucked right? Oh well, I thought it was a good start at least. Please review and tell me what you think! Oh, and by the way, the spell that was used in this chapter: Liraga, is just something that I made up. It, as is described, is an attack of light, like Firaga is an attack of fire. I know that there should Light, Ligha, Lighaga, but Liraga sounds better to me.


	2. chapter the 2nd

A/N: Hello! And welcome all to the second chapter of 'Padlock and Locksmith.' I don't own KH and unless something unbelievable happens I never will. The last chapter dealt with Riku. This chapter deals with Sora and his new 'friend' snicker snicker

Review responses:

Ripplesong: thanks for reviewing! I haven't had time to see your story yet, but I promise I'm gonna! I'm really looking forward to it!

Boggiepop reborn: You suck loser! Ha ha! Everyone else reading this is probably like WTF? I'm aloud to insult her as I know her and she _really_ is a loser! Ha! Richard is _so_ gonna knife you and the rest of us are gonna laugh as you fall to his mad ninja skillz!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Sora sighed as he had for what seemed to be the thousandth time in that hour alone. He was currently sitting at the helm of a Gummi ship (aptly named 'The Umbra') that was chasing after a vessel belonging to the Heartless. He hit the auto pilot button, deciding he needed a break from driving. He stared idly out the window at the cold darkness of space.

**_"All hearts are born in Darkness, and all so end."_** A now familiar voice said to the wielder of the Keyblade in his mind. Two and a half years ago, this voice would have, and did, frighten Sora, however, two and a half years of being stuck with it took away his fear rather quickly.

"Yeah, yeah. Hearts, darkness, I got this already." He responded irritably.

**_"One who knows nothing can understand nothing."_** The voice admonished.

"Dammit! I'm trying to take a last break before I have to face a ship full of my enemies! You're not helping and you're not being funny!" Sora shouted angrily. Laughter bubbled out of nowhere; though this time it was not in the Keyblade master's mind. A tall form with long platinum hair that spiked wildly at the top of the person's head appeared next to Sora. The newcomer was wearing white gloves and a long, gray coat, with black sleeves and armored shoulders. Under the coat he wore a white shirt with a good bit of his chest showing, black pants and boots. His skin was tan and his eyes were orange. On his chest was what looked like a Heartless insignia, however upon closer inspection it could be seen as a cracked one, like the heart had been broken.

"Are you sure Keyblade master? I beg to differ." The man said with evident amusement.

"Ansem, you aren't funny. You're just stupid." Sora growled. The older man dramatically held a hand over his heart like he'd been shot.

"You wound me Sora, you really do." He responded.

"I'm sure you'll live." The younger man grumbled. Ansem shrugged nonchalantly.

"You seem to be moodier then usual." He observed. "Any reason why?" Sora mumbled something unintelligible and wouldn't face the other man. "What was that?" Sora muttered out an answer again, but this time Ansem read his thoughts instead of just listening to him. It was an ability the man had gained after being fused with the Keyblade master's mind, a pro for Ansem, but a con for Sora.

"Oh! I get it now!" Ansem said after doing the mental sweep. "You're nervous about seeing your _beloved_ Riku again!" Sora's faced flushed a bright red at the older man's words. "Ha! I'm right! You're nervous about going back to Traverse Town and facing the one you're in love with!" Ansem smirked at Sora.

"Would you shut up! I'm nervous enough as it is!" The teen shouted at her former nemesis.

"Oh don't be. How could Riku resist you? I'm mean, you look good enough to eat." The former villain looked a blushing Sora up and down.

"Please don't say that. It's really weird coming from someone who once wanted me dead." Sora said uneasily.

"Oh Sora, _I_ never wanted you dead. It was only under the weight of insanity that I wanted that! Besides, that was after I'd been consumed with darkness. _This_ is me _before_ I did experiments on the Heartless." Ansem replied smoothly.

"I think I liked you better when you wanted to kill me… or whatever it was. Besides, there's another reason I don't want to hear that coming from you. I don't want you to say something like that, even in jest, for Eclipse's sake. He may understand you, but I get the feeling that he really doesn't like that you say things like that to others, even if you don't mean it." Sora said quietly.

Ansem's expression softened. Despite the major changes Sora had been through the past couple of years, he still had a big heart when it came down to it. Quite frankly, Sora's interest in Eclipse's welfare amused Ansem to no end, though it was in brotherly sort of way. It was almost endearing to see the Keyblade master display such concern for the one who had actually performed many of the attacks against him in their final battles.

Eclipse was the name of Ansem's guardian with the almost Heartless-like appearance. And unknown to everyone and everything except Eclipse, Sora, and himself, his guard was his lover. Almost as if cued, the guardian appeared and took up his normal post behind Ansem. In looking at the almost grotesque creature, you wouldn't think it could be _anything's _lover, as it was basically a bulky, floating, black torso, with large antennae, beady yellow eyes, and white bondage around it's full, toothy mouth and chest.

However, as with most things in the universe, nothing is as it seems. To the rest of the world, Eclipse was a hideous beast, however in private when it was just he and Ansem and sometimes when Sora happened to be around and the two couldn't keep their hands off each other; he could, and did, shape-shift into a striking young man. Sora was the only other who had seen the guardian's transformation, and the first time it was by accident, when he interrupted a rather… private episode between the two lovers. Sora hadn't lost his blush for a week.

**_"You were discussing me, were you not?"_** Eclipse asked telepathically with its surprisingly polite disposition. Another quirk about the guardian was that the bondage around its mouth was there for a reason. It couldn't speak in its natural state thanks to the binding, and had to rely on telepathy. But since the bindings disappeared when he transformed into his human guise, he had to be careful not to speak with his mouth, or it would have fatal consequences for anyone other then Ansem who heard his voice. (A/N: Think God from Dogma)

"Yes, as a matter of fact we were." The taller man said in a good-natured voice that was reserved for his guardian only.

**_"Only good things I trust."_** Eclipse replied, wrapping his bulky arms protectively around his lover and master.

"You trust correctly." Sora said grinning and turned back to the Gummi ship's controls. They were only minutes away from Traverse Town and Sora took over on manual control. Eclipse nodded at Sora and proceeded to pay more… attention to Ansem.

"Oh, hey, darkness obsessed!" Sora called gaining Ansem's attention. "I'd like you two to either stay inside my mind or hideout at the hotel while we're here. I don't think my friends would welcome you with open arms."

"I'll have to agree with you there, which is weird since we never agree on anything." Ansem responded. "We'll be out of sight."

"But unfortunately not out of mind." Sora grumbled causing the older man to smirk. As many can guess, Ansem and Sora were not traveling together by choice. In defeating Ansem and exposing him to the light from Kingdom Hearts, Sora had rid the man of the Heartless' influence. However, since Ansem only had a body through Riku, he'd been reduced to a mere shadow of what he used to be. And with no way to have a body on his own, he did the only thing he could, and that was merge with Sora's mind.

It had taken about two weeks for Sora to accept that _Ansem_, his antagonist, nemesis, and enemy, was now firmly entrenched in his head. It took even longer for the Keyblade master to accept that he really had no interest in fighting Sora anymore. After that it was only a brief space of time for Ansem to get used to creating his own body whenever he wanted to escape the confines of Sora's thoughts, though unfortunately for Sora, he and his former enemy were always connected. Not long after Ansem could create his own form, Eclipse returned, much to the former villain's joy. Though Sora was still a little surprised that the guardian hadn't disappeared when Ansem was purged. But whenever he'd ask the tall man about this, he'd usually get the reply: "Eclipse can love me, so he must have a heart, and is therefore not a Heartless."

Much to Sora's surprise, having Ansem around was sometimes a lot of help. He still couldn't believe the difference it had made in his mastery of the Keyblade. Through Ansem he'd found out things that he would have otherwise never known, such as history on previous Keyblade masters and some surprising facts about the Key-chains. According to Ansem's Library back in Hollow Bastion, which is where they'd taken up residence, the first Keyblade wielder was one of King Mickey's predecessors and had created the Kingdom Key. The second master had created the Jungle King and the Fairy Harp, the third had created the Wishing Star and the Spellbinder, the fourth had created the Metal Chocobo. The fifth had created the Crabclaw, the Divine Rose, and the Lady Luck, the sixth had created the Olympia, the seventh had created the Pumpkinhead, which as it turns out was the prototype for their other, far more sinister creation, the Oblivion. There was still a great deal Sora had to learn about this Keyblade; it contained too many secrets. The eighth Keyblade master had created the Oathkeeper, the Lionheart, and the Three Wishes. Sora was still fuzzy on how his friends had come by some of the Key-chains, and he had the suspicious feeling that there was a whole lot more to be known then Ansem was letting on. In fact some of the passages in the books he read in the Hollow Bastion Library, almost seemed… edited.

Sora, the supposed ninth Keyblade master, had already created his first Key-chains, the very first being the Ultima Weapon. Well actually the moogles at the shop had created it, but that was beside the point. Since then, he'd already created two more Key-chains; his favorite by far was the aptly named 'Shadow Banisher,' or 'Banisher' for short. It had a long reach, was jet black and jaggedly designed, and it had a piece of tattered black-purple cloth spotted with tiny white points much like the night sky hanging from it's handle and another like it from the blade. Its Key-chain was that of a broken Heartless insignia, much like the one imprinted on Ansem's chest. Despite its dark appearance, Banisher was the only Keyblade that let him use the Light magics. However, when faced with the newly resurfaced threat of Heartless its power increased several folds, almost as if the Key was filled with the same hate of them Sora was.

**_"How much farther ahead of us are the Heartless?"_** Eclipse questioned.

Sora checked the scanner and sighed. "They're docking at Traverse Town as we speak, and it will be several minutes before we make it."

"Think that will be too long?" Ansem asked.

"Not at all. I'm sure Riku, Leon and the others can take care of themselves perfectly well. I'm simply hoping we can get there in time to destroy the ship before it unloads _all_ of her passengers." Sora replied, focusing on the task of piloting.

After about two minutes of tense silence Sora spoke up again. "Alright, our ship is docking now. The Heartless didn't bother to properly land their ship, so that will make it easier to destroy. I'll go take care of things, you two go lay low for a while."

Ansem nodded, smirking as he put his arm around Eclipse. "We'll be at the hotel. Some time alone sounds _really_ good."

"Hope the walls are sound proof." Sora muttered. The Gummi ship lurched as it finished landing. Sora hit the button to open the hatch as he ran towards it. Once it was open enough for him to get out, he jumped off, summoning the Keyblade equipped as Banisher in mid-air. Ansem waved good-bye in an altogether cliched fashion and Sora stuck his tongue out at him causing the older man to laugh and his guard to shake with silent chuckles.

Sora ran off in the direction of the World Gate into Traverse Town, knowing that the battle would probably take place in the square. As he came in, the last of the first wave of Heartless were forming. He looked around the square, surprised to see it was still the same. Eventually his eyes fell on the group of people standing ready in front of the accessory shop. His breath caught in his throat when he recognized Riku. _Oh God he's even more beautiful then I remember._ However, there would be time to drool over the object of his affection later; now there was work to be done.

"Liraga!" He called, brandishing Banisher to cast the highest spell of Light. The not so poor Heartless never stood a chance. With a simple adjusting of the angle before the attack ran out, he managed to destroy the ship as well. Sora mentally congratulated himself, as it was one of his neater jobs, meaning that there wasn't any broken objects or injured bystanders.

He looked back over at Riku and the others who, by the looks of their defensive positions, had shielded their eyes from the light of Sora's spell. He chuckled to himself sheepishly, and spoke to make them aware of his presence.

"I suppose that was a little much. However, when faced with a host of Heartless like that and not given much time act does tend to narrow one's options, eh?" Riku was the first to recover from Sora's spell. He blinked in surprise, disbelief, and shock as his gaze settled on the Keyblade master.

"Sora?" He breathed as if hardly daring to believe it were true.

A/N: Hello all! Well, that was Sora's side to the first chapter. As I promised, Eclipse was not an OC, and personally, I like the idea of Ansem sharing an emotional bond with his guardian. He certainly didn't share one with anyone else, and his guardian was never really explained as he just showed up in the final boss battle. All that about the history of the Keyblade and its masters was purely made up, as I don't really know anything about it. Oh, and by the way, if you can't tell, I'm _no_ romance writer, but I'll try to get better!


	3. Chapter the 3rd

A/N: Welcome to the third chapter of 'Padlock and Locksmith!' we'll finally be moving on with the long awaited plot of the story, thank God. This is my least favorite chapter, and I think it sucks most definitely. So sorry. I still don't own Kingdom Hearts, not that you care anyway…

Review response:

Xeora: Alright, here it is! Please don't unleash your almighty wrath upon my slow and incompetent self! Did you know you're the first person to review that I don't know? I'd dedicate this chapter to you, but as I said in my author's note, I really hate this one.

And BTW **_Boggiepop reborn_**, you won't like this chapter either, but for a completely different reason then the weak character interaction and dialogue.

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

"Sora?" Riku breathed, trying to take in the person before him. The now present Keyblade master blinked as he was addressed, then grinned widely at the speaker.

"Riku!" He exclaimed and rushed over to meet his friend. They met halfway and embraced tightly. Both stumbled with the impact before regaining their footing. The two only broke apart when they noticed their awkward position and self-consciously, though very reluctantly, released one another. Riku felt like he was floating, the fact that Sora, _his_ Sora, was right there before him made the youth feel weightless.

The silver haired teen finally gathered enough of his wits to notice the drastically altered appearance of the Keyblade master. "God Sora! You look so _different_!" He exclaimed. Sora blinked again then grinned sheepishly. It was true; the brunet did look far different then when Riku last saw him. Gone were the bright colors and boyish style; in its place was something far more… mature. He was dressed in stark colors: matching white shirt and pants with black trim and jagged black designs parading over their surface. His hair too had changed, though it was still as spiky as ever, and for the most part was it's normal cinnamon color. However, the pinnacle of every spike was dyed black. He had grown in the time apart and now stood about the same height as Riku. He did still wear the crown necklace and the chain at his hip. His bright yellow shoes as well, were still on his feet.

Sora laughed though, and replied after a moment: "You don't look so bad yourself Riku." The silver-hair boy blushed at his friend's straightforward and altogether out of character comment, though Riku had indeed changed his appearance as well. His hair was exactly the same, albeit a little longer then before and his eyes were the same sky blue. His clothing consisted of a loose, 3/4 sleeved, sapphire colored shirt, black pants and boots, and in place of his short gloves was a pair that covered his whole hand and most of his forearm, almost like gauntlets.

"Thanks." He said, as he blushed a little more. Meanwhile the rest of the group didn't know what to make of this unexpected development.

"I can't believe it." Cloud whispered. "He really has returned!" Leon, _involuntarily_ speechless for once in his life, could only nod at the blonde's statement.

"I'm so glad!" Aeris said sighing in relief.

"Weird kid finally found his way back?" Cid wondered aloud. The only one who was not at a loss for words was Yuffie, though she was ecstatic at Sora's return, as always she had something to complain about.

"Why didn't they kiss!" She fumed. "They have been separated for over two years for pity's sake! Oh, that's right dammit! They're still _freaking ignorant_!"

"Calm down brat. I'm sure they'll figure it out in their own damn time. They don't need you blurting it out for the world to hear." Cid admonished gruffly. Yuffie proceeded to fume silently.

Riku meantime, was having trouble gripping reality. "I keep thinking I'm suddenly going to wake up and you won't be standing there." He whispered smiling slightly.

Sora grinned and punched his arm lightly. "Sorry, you can't get rid of me that quickly _or_ easily. You're stuck with me for life!" The Key master's silver haired friend blushed happily at this bold statement. It was then that Sora happened to notice the rest of the crowd in front of the item shop.

"Is that everyone…?" Sora asked peeking over Riku's shoulder.

"Yeah, come on! Their probably anxious to see you!" The two teens bounded over to the assembled group. Sora, once he'd reached everyone, bowed deeply, his right arm straight out gripping the Keyblade.

"Miss me?" He asked flashing a cocky grin.

"Not much." Cid replied matching the boy's expression. Yuffie had already forgotten her earlier issues and glomped the poor brunet.

"ImissedyouImissedyouImissedyou!" She cried happily as Sora turned blue from lack of air. Riku came to his love interest's rescue and gently pried her off. Both Cloud and Leon clapped him on the back, _hard_, causing him to stumble forward and it was Riku again who helped him. The blonde swordsman had an enthusiastic smile while Leon's face remained stony though his eyes shown with the same joy everyone else felt.

"'Bout time you hauled your smiley ass back here!" Cloud joked.

"'Bout time you hauled _your_ spiky ass outta the coliseum! I think you drove Phil insane!" Sora countered. Everyone gasped.

"Sora cursed? Sora? Cursing? What happened to you man? Change much!" Yuffie said, her mouth hanging open.

"You have no idea!" The Key wielder said rolling his eyes. "I've been from one side of this universe to the other and back again! I've seen and learned things that you wouldn't believe!"

"Your Keyblade seems to be testament to that." Leon pointed out. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"This?" Sora questioned and swung the giant Key in an arc through the air. "Alright then, everyone, I'd like to introduce you to the Shadow Banisher!" Yuffie made a sound of respect.

"I don't recall a damn Keyblade named 'Shadow Banisher' before." Cid complained. "I thought I was pretty damn well-versed in that area too!"

Sora, to everyone's surprise smirked, though it wasn't as surprising as his answer. "Of course you haven't. I'm Banisher's creator."

"C-creator?" Cloud stuttered incredulously. "You can create Key-chains? How?"

"Using light and darkness of course." Sora responded evenly.

"You've been meddling with the powers of darkness? But why?" Riku demanded his voice a mixture of anger and sadness. "I would think _you_ of _all_ people would know that nothing good can ever come of that!"

The Key-master sighed. "You think I don't know that? I've learned things about the history of the Keyblade, _this_ very same Keyblade mind you, that would make your skin crawl and your hair stand on end!" He answered at the startled group, his voice rising. "Since I'm feeling _so_ generous right now I'll give you a tiny bit of what I learned. To be the Keyblade master is to be the master of the balance between the light and the darkness. To wield the blade to it's fullest potential, I _have_ to screw around with the powers of shadow! It's my _job!_"

_**"Ooh, nice one Key-boy.**"_ A voice in Sora's head said in an amused tone. _**Back off darkness obsessed**._ Sora thought back bitterly at Ansem's intrusion. _**Go play with Eclipse, I'm sure he'd appreciate your attention more.** _An affirmative feeling was all he got in reply.

"Sora?" Riku began addressing the now-seething youth. "I'm sorry, we didn't know that it was like that…"

The brunet cut him off curtly. "I know Riku… and I'm sorry too. I suppose the stress is finally catching up to me." He put his free hand on Riku's shoulder, making the silver-haired boy's heart pound wildly. "I know you're just worried, but I'll be able to take care of myself…" He winked "…for once in my life." Riku blushed slightly.

"You've been taking care of yourself for over two years Sora!" Riku protested.

"Yeah!" Donald quacked out. "I don't know how you survived without us!" Sora plastered a fake smile on his face, as the thoughts ran through his head. _I just hope they never find out I haven't been alone all this time. I don't know what I'd do if Riku found out I've been bound to Ansem, the very man who possessed him and controlled his body and mind._

Riku, the one in question however, did happen to notice that Sora's smile, while successfully fooling the others, didn't get past him. _I'll have to make sure to ask him about that later. If he's using a false smile then something's got to be up. _

"I don't know how I survived either." Sora replied to Donald.

"How'd you get here anyway?" Yuffie asked suddenly.

"By Gummi ship. How else would I have made it here?" Sora responded curiously.

"So the second Gummi was yer's?" Cid asked, interested.

"Well… No exactly." Sora drew out uncertainly. _Oh no Cid!_ He said jokingly in his thoughts _It actually belongs to my crazy friend Ansem!_

_**"Aw, you admit I'm your friend?"** _He heard echo in his mind.

_**Shut it stupid. I thought you were going to screw Eclipse**. _Sora bit back mentally.

_**"We're getting ready."** _Ansem replied smugly. **_"I suggest that you take a nap when we do this because you just might catch some of the overtones. Need I remind you of the one time?"_**

_**Hell no!**_ Sora shivered, horrified. He heard Ansem chuckle through the link.

_**"Get back to reality Key-boy, your pilot friend is waiting for an answer."** _He reminded.

"What do mean, 'not exactly'?" Cid asked.

"It kinda-sorta belongs to a friend of mine." He responded carefully.

"Do I know 'em?" The aged man asked, curious.

_How am I supposed to answer this?_ The Key-master wondered. "Um, once again, kinda-sorta." Cid gave him look that said to elaborate. "Uh, you know _of_ the person, but I'd rather not say who it was."

Cid nodded, accepting the answer, while Riku was growing more suspicious by the second. _Sora's definitely hiding something._ The silver-haired teen concluded. _I have the feeling that whoever it is he knows is the reason he's been gone so long. _Then, a horrible thought came to the youth, unbidden. _What if… What if Sora's _involved _with this person! I'd die if he were in love with someone else! He may never care for me the way I do for him, but if he…_ Riku couldn't even think about it. His throat was closing at the mere ghost of the suggestion.

"Hey Riku? Are you Okay? You look kinda like you're being strangled." Yuffie spoke curiously.

The silver-haired you man shook his head to clear it and as a negative response. "It's nothing, I'm fine." The ninja nodded uncertainly. Sora stretched and feigned a yawn.

"I know it's early but I've been awake for over twenty four hours and I'm worn out. I don't suppose there's a place where I could crash for the day and night and we could catch up tomorrow morning?"

Leon nodded. "The couch folds out. We can set that up for you if you'd like, and get something more permanent for you tomorrow." He paused "That is, if you are indeed planning on staying?"

Riku swallowed nervously and looked to his friend who seemed to be thinking deeply. Sora was however, asking Ansem about it.

**_Are we staying? What should I tell them?_** The feeling he got from Ansem's side was impatience.

**_"We'll be staying for a while, we know for a fact that the Heartless aren't finished with this place yet, so we might as well stay. Now leave me alone!"_**

**_Jeez, have mood swings much?_** Sora bit back before returning to reality. "I assume I'm staying for a little while, but I'm not exactly sure how long." The teenager told Leon, who nodded in response.

"Alright then Keyblade master. Please walk this way." He turned on his heel and strode off in the opposite direction with Sora following closely. The others raced to catch up and Riku fell into place at Sora's side. His heart beat a little faster when his friend turned and smiled at him, and the silver-haired youth resisted the urge to grasp the brunet's hand.

Unknown to the two teens, their thoughts mirrored one another's as they made thee way to the house in third district. _No matter what fate may have in store for me now, at least he'll be by my side._

A/N: And thus ends the third chapter of 'Padlock and Locksmith'! I'm so proud of myself despite the fact that I hated almost every sentence of this chapter! I went on a major writing binge and managed to get this chapter done in relatively little time considering I'm the world's biggest procrastinator. No really, ask my friends. Anyhow, since this story's progressing nicely, I just want to warn you guys that this might very well be running for longer then I expected. A whole lot longer. You see the plot bunnies pulled a major counter attack on my mild case of writer's block and now I can't stop thinking of ideas! So just a warning, if you think things are strange now, they're going to get much stranger, but hopefully that's a good thing. Well, time will tell won't it?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello! This is Chapter number four of 'Padlock and Locksmith!' I hope you enjoy reading this catastrophe… er, I mean Chapter, as much as I have enjoyed writing it! And BTW, I still don't own KH, 'cause if I did, Kairi would disappear, and Riku wouldn't be so unlucky as to be controlled by every freak that shows up! I mean seriously! It was Ansem in the first Kingdom Hearts, and then it was Vexen in Chain of Memories! I'm wondering who it'll be next!

_Oh and Xeora, you didn't review this last chapter and I was a little disappointed I'll admit. I hope it wasn't because you thought I dedicated a badly written chapter to you. 'Cause I didn't. I meant I would have but because I hated it so much it seemed like a pretty mean thing to do. However after I posted it and looked at it I realized the wording sounded a little bad. So sorry if you hate me! You can have this one if you want; I like this one a lot better. Oh, and all the rest of you readers out there who are looking at this and going 'this chik is really whacked' none of you bothered to review either! I'm feeling very under appreciated… Unless no one is reading this and I'm talking to myself…_

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Sora woke up groggy and irritable from his disturbing-dream-filled sleep. Though he had successfully drifted to unconsciousness before he got caught in Ansem and Eclipse's activities, that didn't mean his mind didn't pick up some images of what was going on. _My mind's eye has been scarred for life._ He though grouchily. A quick mental check with the former heartless master revealed that the man was still blissfully asleep, unaware of his host's discomfort.

Sora pondered what it might take to get Eclipse to put something foul in Ansem's hair, but the Keyblade master knew that chances of persuading the guardian to do that to his master were most unfavorable to put it favorably. So with more then a few nasty comments and curses the brunet hauled himself off the foldout couch and bumbled to the bathroom. On his way down the hall he caught a glimpse of a wall-clock and the current time.

Sora groaned and cursed Ansem once again for getting him used to waking at the most unholy hours of the morning. Sora was never good at breaking drilled-in habits, and waking every morning before dawn was an unfortunate one, one that was _all _Ansem's fault. Ah, the secret of his mastery of the Keyblade: waking up early, spending the day in the Library researching, then to training, screwing around with what he'd read to see if it was accurate, fighting with Ansem over stupid issues, Library again, go to bed late, rinse, repeat, etc. _Hmm, speaking of rinse… A shower would be really nice…_

He hadn't had a chance for one last night, and if the second wave of Heartless was to be arriving soon, who knew when his next chance might be? Especially since He and his two 'companions' weren't likely to stick around after that, not for long at least. Despite the fact that a very large temptation to stay here was currently sleeping down the hall. _Riku, what am I going to do?_ Sora knew he loved his friend more then life itself, however, he didn't know if the other teen returned any of his feelings. If Sora were to stay he'd be abandoning all the other worlds that were out there. He would also be endangering his friend if he were to remain, for the Heartless would be drawn to the Keyblade.

But if Riku were to come with them, he would have to face Ansem, something that Sora wished to prevent if at all possible. Riku didn't deserve that. No, staying was out of the question and so was taking his friend with him. Riku would stay here at Traverse Town, and Sora would go and face the enemy. At the finality of the decision, Sora felt like he'd just broken his own heart in two, but it was the only way for things to keep spinning. Riku wouldn't join them and he wouldn't stay, and Riku would most definitely not meet Ansem. _And he will never learn of my affections._ Sora thought with determined sadness.

He had reached the bathroom and took his shower gratefully: turning the water up to almost boiling trying to distract his mind. It worked for all of the time he was showering, and the minute the water turned off, all his anxieties came crashing down. He dressed and made his way towards the sitting room, intent on letting his thoughts stew for awhile. Unfortunately, one of the two people that could sense his troubled thoughts, did.

**_"Keyblade Master?"_** Came the soft inquiry in the back of his head. _**"Your mind seems quiet troubled, what's the matter? Are you all right?"** _

_"**Eclipse? Is that you?"**_ Sora responded a little surprised. **_"I didn't think you'd be awake after… you know…"_** The teen knew he was blushing when he heard the polite chuckle from the guardian.

**_"I don't need nearly as much rest as my master, what kind of protector would I be if I slept the day away instead of watching out for him?"_**

**_"Good point. So I take it that darkness obsessed is still unconscious?"_**

_"**Yes, though I'm not sure why you insist on calling him that."**_

_**"Because that's how I met the man**."_ Sora responded cheekily and he heard the guardian chuckle again.

"**_Yes, I suppose that's right. Though if you remember he was… not himself at the time."_**

_**"I know, but if I can't make fun of my former nemesis then where am I going to find my entertainment?"**_

**_"Well, you could always go entertain Riku…"_** The guardian said with double meaning.

Sora's thoughts immediately sank back into the depressed state he'd been in before at the unintended reminder of his painful decision. Eclipse felt this as well.

"**_I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"_** The apparition-like being sounded worried. Sora sent a negative feeling and wordlessly let the creature know of his choice. "**_Oh… I apologize, I didn't realize…"_**

_**"Don't worry about it. I'm the one that has to be troubled about not going back on this decision. It's not for you to fret about."**_

_**"What do you think my master will say?"** _Eclipse inquired gently.

"**_He'll ask questions, and once I answer them he'll support my decision even if he doesn't like it. Which I'm sure he won't."_** Sora responded evenly.

Eclipse nodded. "**_You're right of course. That's exactly what he'll do. However, I'm not sure you're giving your friend enough credit. He's a strong individual if the impression I have of him is correct. He's not going to break from meeting the one who possessed him. He may be uneasy, but-."_**

_**"I'm not scared he'll break Eclipse!"** _Sora interrupted fiercely. "_**I know him better then that! What I'm scared he'll do, is fracture…"** _Sora swallowed down the sob that threatened. "**_You may be able to see the memories of him that I have, but you'll never be able to feel him like I do! Even right now Eclipse! Whatever happened to him inside Kingdom Hearts weakened something within him! An earthquake doesn't snap the world into pieces floating throughout space, but it can fracture the planet beyond recognition! He may not break in two but who knows how deep the fissure will run!"_** Sora fell sitting on his makeshift bed in trembling fit.

_**"I can't bear to see him hurt anymore, Eclipse! What did you feel like when Ansem was tainted and no longer that man you loved?"** _Sora demanded.

_**"I…"** _Eclipse was struck speechless for a moment. A sigh ran through Sora's mind. "**_I understand Sora. I felt powerless and guilty for not preventing what happened to my master. I see your point and I apologize."_**

**_"You're forgiven; and I'm sorry I lost my temper."_** Sora paused pensively.

**_"You know…" _**The guardian began quietly. "**_When Riku was lost within my master's consciousness, I spoke with him."_**

_**"You did?"**_

**_"Yes. He was very frightened and angry. Angry with you for supposedly abandoning him, angry with Ansem for possessing him, angry at Maleficent for tricking him, but he was most angry with himself. For not being able to be with you when you needed him the most."_** Eclipse told him quietly. "**_Despite the fact that he was trapped within the mind of a madman, the fact that his closest friend was about to fight said madman, and the fact he had no idea who I was, he came across as a very strong person. Despite the hurt he'd caused to himself and others, he continued to put others before himself."_**

_**"Hey, Eclipse?"**_

_**"Yes?"**_

_**"Let's promise something, you and I. From now on we make sure nothing terrible happens to those that we hold beloved, all right?"**_

_**"Hmm, I like that. You have a deal Keyblade master. You watch over Riku, and I'll keep Ansem out of trouble."**_

_**"Good luck with that! At least Riku has matured**!" _Sora responded laughing softly out loud.

"What's so funny?" A voice nearby asked curiously. The Keyblade Master whirled his head around in surprise to see Leon standing there in what could only be his night cloths, hair rumpled and eyes half open and fogged with sleep. All in all he was not the intimidating swordsman Sora had come to know. His giggling was proof enough of that to poor Leon. Eclipse dismissed himself with a 'see you later' and a dignified farewell.

"What's funny?" Sora responded now grinning. "Well you are for one, but that's not what I was laughing about." Leon raised one dark-brown eyebrow deliberately.

"Oh? Then what was so humorous at this hour of the morning? By your appearance you have already been awake and ready for some time, and this is early even for me or Cid, who are usually up first."

Sora smiled before responding, knowing that either Leon had become more talkative or he wasn't conscious enough to know he was babbling. "Just thinking of something a friend of mine and myself promised, and the comment's that ensued." It was the truth, the teen simply didn't say that the promise had been made seconds before he walked in. Leon nodded in response and headed to the kitchen to make himself some coffee.

"Hey Leon!" Sora called, seeing as how they were in different rooms. "Can I ask a few questions?"

"Go ahead." Was the simple response, as Sora heard the coffee maker churn to life.

"How have things been here while I was gone?" Was the first question.

"Relatively quiet actually. We've been monitoring several worlds for signs of renewed Heartless activity, but we never found anything. We didn't even know they were still around until yesterday." Leon responded and he walked back to the living room as he waited for his coffee to brew.

"How has Riku been, really?" Sora asked quietly, almost as if he was afraid to hear the answer.

"In truth…" The master of the Gun-blade began. "Not good. Not at all good." Sora let his face fall to his hands in despair. Leon continued. "He's been antisocial, depressed, angry, and at times snappish and rude. I didn't know him before he was trapped in darkness, but by your expression I'd say it's a pretty safe bet he was nothing like this before."

"He _was_ nothing like that!" Sora moaned into his hands. "He was always cheerful, stubborn, proud, teasing, curious, and a tad overbearing, but he was never like that! There was only a subtle sadness about him whenever other worlds were mentioned; oh he wanted to leave so _badly!_ Gods, what _happened_ to him!"

Leon looked on in silence at the Key master's outburst, his expression betraying nothing. His voice gave no insight to what he thought when he did speak. "You should… No, you need to speak with him as soon as he wakes up." Sora nodded in response. "What else did you want to ask?"

"Mostly insignificant things I was curious about. If you have something more pressing, I'm not going to keep you." Sora said, head still in hands. Leon spared a glance toward the kitchen where his coffee was still being made.

"I don't have to go yet." He responded. Sora nodded and asked another little thing he was slightly curious about.

"How long has Cloud been here? I didn't think you all knew him." Sora asked, noticing how Leon tensed, just barely at the mention of the blond.

"I didn't. Yuffie, Cid, and Aeris however, were previous acquaintances." He responded, carefully _not_ looking at Sora.

"Huh, you really like him don't you?" Sora asked curiously. Leon froze completely.

A/N: Heya! And thus so ends Chapter four! I'm actually very surprised at myself; this chapter flowed unbelievably smoothly! Everything just fell perfectly into place! I also have a pretty good idea of how I want the next several chapters to pan out, which is very weird for such an impromptu writer like myself. Not to mention I pulled another cliffhanger! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! SUFFER WITH THE PAIN OF CURIOSITY! WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT! Okay maybe you don't really care all that much…


	5. Chapter the 5th

A/N: I am BACK! Oh yeah! Wassup my dawgs? What is goinn' down in da hood G? Fer shizzle? Okay that was really weird. If I ever start to talk like that again… please take what ever measures are necessary to make me stop. Now that that's over… Welcome to the fifth chapter of 'Padlock and Locksmith.' Gasp! Is it really the fifth chapter! I wasn't sure if I'd make it this far! But I did! Yay for me! Any way, I'm sure you don't care what a crazy chick has to say, so on with the terrible tale!

Review responses:

Xeora: Ha! Sorry if I sounded kinda whiny, but I have more insecurity then you want to hear about. Well here it is! Don't kill me, and please don't die! That's bad! I'm really evil about just dropping off 'cause I'm trying to keep all the chapters the same length. So sorry, but it going to happen anyway!

Oh, and this note here is for the sole purpose of embarrassing my good friend Boggiepop Reborn because it's her BIRTHDAY! Happy B-Day proboscis girl!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last time: **"Huh, you really like him don't you?" Sora asked curiously. Leon froze completely. **

"What do you mean?" Leon asked cautiously. Sora rolled his eyes.

"Please. I mean you _like_ Cloud, duh! I've never even been in a relationship before and I can see you're totally infatuated with him, not to mention I've barely seen you two interact!" Leon said nothing, his gaze glued to the floor, and a slight tint of pink on his cheeks. "Am I right?" Sora asked cautiously, not sure if the gothic man's reaction was positive or negative.

"I'm…" He began quietly. "I'm actually not sure. I've been in love before, but never with another man. I can't say if the attraction that I feel for Cloud is romantic, or if it's platonic, simply being drawn to another soul scarred warrior." He looked at Sora sharply all of a sudden. "Don't you _dare _mention a word of this to_ anyone _Keyblade master!"

Sora smiled. "Wasn't really planning on it. After all, I get the feeling that you and almost everyone else here sees right through me."

"That's certainly true. Why do you say 'almost everyone' though?" Leon replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"Riku doesn't." The brunet said with certainty. "Reason one is because it's something I've tried to keep away from him, and two, I know if he knew he would've at least confronted me about it. Even if it was just to turn me down."

"You really have changed." Leon spoke quietly. "The Sora I met almost three years ago here in Traverse wasn't so full of secrets."

"How about I get something straight right now with you Leon." Sora spoke easily, not angrily. "I trust you, and everyone in the house. But no one is getting closer then arms length. Though not literally of course. The only thing you can get by getting closer to me…" Sora trailed off as the coffee machine beeped, momentarily dividing the swordsman's attention. "…Is badly hurt."

Needless to say, after Sora's cryptic and more then slightly discomforting statement, the conversation between the two masters of the Key and Gunblade dropped off. Around and hour later, Cid was awake and out the door to the accessory shop and Yuffie was up and quickly consuming the rest of the coffee Leon had made. Aeris was up a little later, and roused Cloud out of bed, at which point Leon (still uncomfortable from what Sora had said about him earlier) left to help Cid. Donald and Goofy left shortly after waking to deliver the message to the King that Sora was back.

It wasn't until Aeris was serving breakfast that an unusual observation was made. "Where is Riku?" Sora asked a little curiously. "Does he usually sleep this late?"

"No." Yuffie said, sounding a little surprised herself. "I mean he doesn't wake up _early_, but he's _never_ this late."

"I'll go wake him up." Aeris said and moved to the door, but Sora stood up to stop her.

"No, I'll get him. Where is his room?" Sora replied smiling.

"Down the hall, and the fourth door on the right. Across from the bathroom." Aeris responded, moving back to sit at the table. Sora nodded his thanks and moved to where she had directed him. He soon found himself outside the designated door, debating on whether or not to go in. _I don't need anymore temptation, but this is the golden opportunity to ask him about what has happened since I last saw him._ Drawing a deep breath, he knocked once and opened the door quietly.

"Riku? Are you up?" He fell silent at the sight that awaited him. Sora had seen his best friend in his sleep before, but that didn't stop the breath from catching in his throat. Riku was sprawled all over his bed, covers kicked off, limbs tossed to the side and over his body, which was only clad in a pair of pajama pants which were oddly enough covered in little rafts and rolling waves, and a small happy smile on his sleeping face. Under his eyelids, his eyes moved around erratically, proving he was dreaming.

Sora smiled softly at his friend. Riku hadn't always been a heavy sleeper, especially in the last few months before the Destiny Islands were first besieged by the Heartless. It was good to see that, last night at least, he had gotten a long rest. The Keyblade master sat down on the edge of the silver-haired teen's bed, waiting for him to wake up. He didn't have to wait long; Riku always seemed to know when Sora was in the same room.

Dark lashed eyelids fluttered open to reveal deep turquoise eyes. The recently awoken young man blinked for a moment before registering exactly who it was in front of him. "Sora?" He asked as he levered himself up on his elbows, quietly questioning.

"Yes Riku?" The Keyblade master replied easily, grinning. The older teen broke out in a grin to match and collapsed back on his mattress.

"Oh thank heaven!" He exclaimed. "I was afraid for a moment it was just a dream!" Riku turned his grinning face towards his friend. "Glad to see you're still here!"

"Glad to still be here." Sora responded smiling softly.

"Can I ask you something." The aqua-eyed teenager asked quickly, his tone reverting back to the quiet questioning. Sora blinked, thinking that Riku had beaten him to the punch. _Guess I'll have to wait to ask my question._

"Sure, you know you can ask me anything."

"Where have you been? If you were looking for me, then why didn't you find me? It wasn't like I was avoiding you."

_Of all the things he could've asked…_ Sora sighed mentally. "As to where I've been, the answer is all over the place. I've been to other worlds, both familiar and not, trying to fight the Heartless as best as I'm ableIt has been an uphill battle all the way. And why I didn't find you, is something I'm rather ashamed of. I started out devoted to nothing else except finding you. However, things happened, and I got a little sidetracked."

"Sidetracked?" Riku asked in confusion before his eyes darkened with understanding. "Was it because of whoever you've met? Whoever it was that owns your Gummi ship?"

Sora sighed and ran a hand through his unruly brown hair. "Yes, partially it is because of my new acquaintance. The other part is because as the Keyblade master, it's my duty to make sure all the worlds out there are safe from whatever threatens them. Now that the Heartless have resurfaced, my duties as the master of the Key are back in affect. As much as I would love to throw everything to the side and stay here with you and everybody else, I have a responsibility, one I can't just ignore."

"I understand Sora…" Riku began. "I'm just remembering that many the problems you faced the first time the Heartless were around, was because of my hurt and jealousy at being abandoned for your two new friends. It was painful… You know? I was so lost and angry that I almost forgot everything that ever mattered to me. I couldn't bear to have a repeat of that incident."

"Then we won't." Sora said firmly. "We'll keep in touch at the least."

"At the least?" Riku repeated in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"At some point I have to continue my hunt." Sora said quietly. "And I can't take you with me."

"What?" The silver haired young man sounded alarmed. The Brunet sighed.

"We should talk later. I have some things I want to ask you, and I'm sure you now have things to clear up with me." The Key master stood. "Breakfast is waiting, and I'd hate to waste all that food Aeris made." With that final remark Sora strode out of his best friend's room and headed for the kitchen, leaving the turquoise eyed youth to get ready for the day, and ponder over his troubling thoughts.

Sora was rather good at observations. And he had made several about all his old friends over breakfast, most of which he planned to address and help with if he could while he was here. As much as his war with the Heartless and Riku were his primary reasons for coming, that didn't make him any less curious about the status and well being of his other friends.

He had already addressed Leon in the early morning, but he had a feeling that the stubborn man might need another, more involved, 'talking to.' Leon was power personified in sorrowful, gothic, lion. He, however, wasn't good at identifying his problems when he had them. At least when they weren't external and weren't a disease or wound.

He had already spoken with Riku once, but that had ended badly and he was going to have to speak with his love interest at some point soon in time. God knows how badly round two will end. _I just hope he doesn't hate my guts enough to want me dead again._ The Key master thought mournfully.

Cloud however, was relatively easy to figure out. Especially once Sora came to a certain realization: The blond swordsman was never in the sight of other people without his cape. His long, tattered, battered, and burned red cape. So Sora had a pretty good idea as to the reasoning behind this, and his desire to talk with the older man about it, was what led Sora to his current situation: washing the breakfast dishes with the gold haired warrior.

Cloud was humming a nonsense little ditty to himself and had a rather contented expression. "So, what is it?"

The fighter's question startled Sora. "So you know I have questions." The Key bearer stated. The blond nodded. "Alright, that makes it easier. They don't know do they?"

"What do you mean?" The other warrior asked, his form stiffening.

"The reason you wear the cape. They don't know about… What you keep out of sight." Sora said with uncertainty, not wanting to upset his friend. Cloud was silent for a little longer before he sighed and relaxed, a sort of defeated posture coming about him.

"No… No they don't know about my… failure. The evidence that shames my soul. The proof that I am but another who was nearly consumed by the darkness, who almost let his black desires consume his future." Cloud paused, his expression growing pained. "The black devil's wing, given to me in exchange for something I may have had all along."

"It's not your fault." Sora told him quietly. "You made what was in your opinion at the time, the wisest decision. The others know you would never knowingly join the Heartless, at least, at this point in time. They'll forgive you, if they even think there is anything to forgive."

Sora paused as Cloud processed his words. "Anyway, my other question is a little more irrelevant. I know that some of our friends: Cid, Yuffie, and Aeris, knew you long before I did. Why did you show me your… ah, … shame, before you showed them?"

Cloud allowed himself a hollow chuckle. "Because I was supposed to kill you. I had been losing and if I beat you then you would be dead and no one would know anymore, and if you won then I'd be dead and it wouldn't matter."

Sora chuckled himself at the blonde's reasoning. "Who knew that Cerberus would interrupt and neither of us would die? Though for the record I wouldn't have killed you anyway."

Cloud smiled to himself. "I know."

Sora sighed and braced himself for his third and final question. As much as he no desire to play matchmaker, he owed Leon quite a few favors for all the help he gave him in the first round against the Heartless. "Hey Cloud?"

"Hmm?"

"What exactly do you think of Leon?" Sora had to suppress a grin as Cloud's entire body convulsed and stopped altogether, much the same as Leon's had previously. _Ha! Gotcha Cloud!_

A/N: Another cliffhanger! Actually I have more then this typed out and ready. I'm just trying to keep the chapters all about the same length. Don't kill me! Wait… I'm in a computer! You can't touch me unless you smash you're electronic God! Mwahahahahahahaha! Uh, please review. Please?


	6. Chapter the 6th

A/N: Um, yeah hi. Did you know I wrote this author's note at the same time as I wrote the one ending the last chapter? Just FYI. And yes I know all my readers are probably pissed because this chapter over a week late. I try to post every Tuesday, but there is very little 'break' involved in my summer break. It's actually the sixth Chapter! I'm so excited! OMFG I just saw one of the greatest movies _ever! _If you haven't seen Howl's Moving Castle then get your butt offline and go see it! It's amazing! Calcifer's so cute! Miyazaki strikes again!

Hey! Boggiepop reborn! The part about Kairi in this chapter is for you! 'Kairi and Sora will hook up' my ass…

Review responses:

**_RuN-Fr0m-h3r3_**- So glad you enjoyed it! Yes Cloud and Leon will end up together… eventually! There's going to be some suggestions that Cloud and Aeris were together in the past though, like during FF7. That's all I meant with that. Sorry to confuse you!

**_annathehitokiri_**- I'm not quite sure if you're reading this since you reviewed the first chapter and I'm just too lazy to go back and write this there. Sorry! Glad you liked the start. Thanks to you reviewers my confidence is building! But I still don't like chapter three… Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts rock:)

**_Galerian57_**- thanks for the input! I may develop confidence yet!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last time: **"What exactly do you think of Leon?" Sora had to suppress a grin as Cloud's entire body convulsed and stopped altogether, much the same as Leon's had previously. _Ha! Gotcha Cloud_**

"A-ah… W-why do you ask?" The swordsman questioned stuttering nervously. Sora smirked in a very un-Sora like way.

"So you _do_ like him." Cloud blushed and continued to stutter incoherently. "I just hope you know," Sora began seriously "That I don't intend to try to hook you up or anything. It's completely in both your hands what happens. I have too much on my own plate of personal problems to worry about someone else's order being screwed up. But I don't want to see either one of you hurt. Physically or emotionally. Be careful above all else."

Cloud smiled "Wise words Sora. I hope I can live up to them."

Sora grinned "You will Cloud. You're smarter then you look."

Laughing madly as he high tailed it out of the kitchen, Sora massaged the bump on his head where Cloud had clocked him with a serving spoon. He sighed happily and made his way to the first district. Riku would find him sooner or later, besides all of this deep thought (Ha! Like the super computer! Cheers for anyone who gets that!) was making his head hurt and he felt like some kind of philosopher. Not that he had anything against philosophy.

As he sat down on the steps in front of the accessory shop, a familiar presence filled his mind**. "_Keyblade master? Is everything all right?"_**

_**"Everything is fine Eclipse. I'm just a little stressed out.** **Is Ansem awake yet**?"_ Sora responded to the guardian, grateful for some easy conversation.

_**"He woke up a little while ago. Long enough to go to the bathroom and eat breakfast. He's currently asleep again**.'_ The black creature replied.

_**"Lazy ass**." _Sora said with little anger to the comment. "_**Makes me used to waking up at the butt crack of dawn while he sleeps the day away! Though from my dreams he does seem to have a reason to be exhausted…"** _Sora trailed off and smirked as he felt Eclipse blush, or at least there was the feeling of embarrassment. **_"I didn't get the chance to ask before, but_** **_did you have fun?"_**

**_"Ah…Glib as always Sora. Though profanity will get you nowhere. And yes, we did have fun. Ansem said to tell you that you should experiment when you and Riku get together."_**

Sora tossed back his head and laughed.

"What are you so happy about?" Sora turned to see Riku with a shadowed expression on his face.

"Did you know Leon found me in exactly the same way this morning?" Sora asked cheekily as Eclipse dismissed himself again.

"Cut the crap!" Riku's voice was shaking. "No more secrets! No more dodging! I want to know exactly what's going on with you! I'm your _best friend_! Don't I have a right to know? I don't want to even think about another fight between us! I-!" Sora cut him off before he could work himself up anymore.

"I'll answer you're questions Riku, on one condition: I get to ask my question first. The answer to yours is a very long one indeed, and for that I might as well get the whole group together so I don't have to go through it more then once. Sound fair?" Sora reasoned.

Riku did not look happy at all, but nodded anyway. "Alright, I'm not pleased but it is fair."

"Good, my question is this: What exactly happened to you in Kingdom Hearts? What happened afterwards and how did you end up here?" Sora's eyes lowered. "How exactly did I manage to miss you?"

Riku sighed and sat down next to his friend. "That's also quite the explanation. But I'll answer to the best of my ability. If this question has been bothering you as much as mine has me, you deserve the best answer I can give."

Sora smiled and patted the other boy's shoulder. "Thank you. You do know that besides the entire Keyblade and heartless thing, you're my whole world."

"Thanks," _Even if you don't mean it the way I want you to. _"That means more to me then you know." Riku said smiling. His grin faded suddenly. "Wait, what about Kairi?"

Sora blinked. 'What about her?"

"I thought that since we were all friends that maybe she was-." Sora stilled his friend with another raised hand.

"I'm going to share something with you Riku. I love Kairi like a sister. But eventually children have to grow up and move away from their families. We visit, but we don't ever live together again." Sora smiled at the fish face expression his friend had. "Why do think I was so confused and embarrassed when you implied I wanted to share the paopu with her? I had no interest in her like that!"

Riku remembered perfectly. _But what you don't know Sora is that I was offering the paopu to you, not implying that you wanted to share it with Kairi. _"Then why were you always competing with me?"

"It was one of the only times it was just me and you. I had a hard enough time matching your pace, Kairi never would've stood a chance!" Sora grinned. Something occurred to the silver-haired boy though.

_What about that drawing in the secret place? Of the two of you sharing the Paopu? _ Riku was about to ask about that, when Sora remembered his original question.

"Hey, you never did answer me!" he exclaimed in his childish manner from so long ago. Riku smirked, same as he used to before settling into a neutral expression to tell his story.

"Alright, well, after I escaped the King brought me here, where Leon and the others took charge of me when they learned I was the same Riku you'd been searching for. But the story starts something like this: after helping to shut the door and being locked in Kingdom Hearts, I had to rely a great deal on the king. If I didn't, then there was no way I'd have kept any semblance of sanity. Relying on someone else wasn't something I was used to, and it took me some time to adjust. I was used to being the strong one, the one others came to when they needed help, or when they needed to look up to someone. My learning dependence on the King is one of the reasons I'm more sedated now.

"It didn't take us that long to escape, no more then a few days. However, they were by far some of the worst days in my life. Ranking right up there with my 'Ansem' ordeal." The teen paused and pained expression coming over his features. "Sora… I can't even begin to describe the nightmare that I experienced within Kingdom Hearts. Those several days, where all worlds are born, was the face of Hell itself. You were wrong. Ansem was wrong. Kingdom Hearts is not light, and it is not darkness. Kingdom Hearts is Twilight, a mixture of light and dark, hope and despair, joy and sorrow, happy endings and tragic downfalls." Riku looked his brown haired friend straight into his bright blue eyes. "Kingdom Hearts is both sweet dreams and nightmares. Where you can be on top of the world only to have your closest confidant betray your trust, where you can be suffering and forgotten and be reborn to a happier place. Where you can have true love and then be abandoned to die alone.

"It is a place that takes your most treasured memories, your deepest personal thoughts, and your greatest fantasies, and perverts them in ways you never thought possible… In ways… You never _hoped_ possible. It also shows you things you never dared to dream were true; things you barely dared to let yourself hope for. But through all of this there was one fact that was made plain: Ansem was right about Kingdom Hearts being the place of all beginnings. Nothing there is ever ended. Not the dreams, and not the nightmares. Not even my own tortured life." He gave a short humorless laugh. "That is the only reason I'm still here. That and I don't think I could've died peacefully having not made amends with you. Sora you _are_ the only reason that I'm alive."

Riku's final walls broke and hunch over as sobs wracked his body; his mind reliving everything he'd witnessed. Sora embraced his dearest friend, holding him as he cried out all of his sorrows and fears.

"Shush, everything is fine now. It's over, I'm here. You'll never have to confront those memories again I promise you. I promise you Riku, nothing will _ever _cause you harm again. I swear it!" Sora whispered in his ear, trying to reassure his best friend. The brunet was scared. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. This wasn't how their lives were going to turn out when they got off the island. Where was the challenging adventure followed with a fairytale ending? Why were people in pain instead of joy?

"Where did everything go wrong?" Sora asked the empty street and rubbed small circles on Riku's back.

"S-Sora?" The silver haired teen's voice rose shakily out of the lonely silence. "W-Will you promise me something?"

"What is it?"

"Don't ever leave me again."

Sora was silent for a moment. "Riku… I'm not sure I can keep that promise if I gave it to you. I'm sorry, but I can't give you my word. However, I'll try my hardest not to leave you. That I can promise." Sora knew his will had just broken. There was no way that he could leave Riku here. Ansem or no Ansem, he was going to have to figure something out. There was always a way to do something, now the Key bearer simply had to figure out what that way was.

Riku lifted his head, which he had somehow managed to bury into Sora's chest. "Sora… I-." Whatever Riku had been about to say was stopped as an odd expression suddenly dominated the Key master's face. An expression that was made of surprise, shock, horror, and immense agitation. "What is it?"

Sora's focus shifted to the square where he had fought yesterday. "Dammit!" He swore loudly. "Why now? They have never been so fast on the rebound! Why are they here?"

"Who?" Riku said nervously. "Who are you talking about?"

Sora stood and summoned Shadow Banisher. "Who do you think?" He responded dryly. Suddenly Heartless began to appear, much the same as they had yesterday. There were, however, several differences, the first was that there was no Gummi ship overhead. The second was that there was only one species of Heartless appearing, and there were only five of them. Sora spat one word out with as much hatred as Riku had ever heard from his friend.

"Crusaders."

"What? What are-?"

"The type of Heartless. They're called Crusaders."

A/N: And so ends the honorable chapter six… NOT! That chapter was pretty boring if I don't say so myself. Not to mention getting started writing what happened to Riku was _really_ difficult. Once I got going though I was on a roll! That was really the only part I was pleased with. The rest was, as I said, really boring. Oh well, at least you know there will be action next chapter! I can't wait!


	7. Chapter the 7th

A/N: Once again, this note was written at the same time as the finishing note for the last chapter. Speaking of which I was pleased with the speed that the few who did review used, but there were only two of them! But the seventh installment is here! Gasp! I can't believe I've made it this far! And nothing has happened yet! … Wow, that's kind of a bummer… Screw it all and enjoy the chapter!

Review responses: I was quite pleased with almost immediate feed back you guys gave me!

**_Xeora_**- I'm happy you're still with me after all this! Though would you mind not chewing on my arm? The chapter's here now…

**_BoOgiepop reborn_**- I could've sworn you told me there was two 'g's in your name! Any way I already e-mailed you, twice, and reviewed your, quite seriously, on-drugs story, so I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! Hope you're having fun in your place of misery!

OH! **_IMPORTANT! MUST READ!_** On the thirteen I'm leaving for Italy for nine days! I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun! However, the downside is that it has forced me to postpone the next update until after I get back, catch up to the time schedule, and recuperate.

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last time: **Sora spat one word out with as much hatred as Riku had ever heard from his friend. **

"**Crusaders."**

"**What? What are-?"**

"**The type of Heartless. They're called Crusaders."**

"Crusaders?" Riku questioned and took a good look at the invaders. They were big, that was the first thing he noticed. Not nearly as big as a behemoth, but still… The seemed to walk on four legs, but the awkward way they stood suggested they might've been able to rear up easily on two. Their coloring was a mottled mix of scarlet and black, but their eyes were a brilliant gold color, and held more intelligence then they should've. They had great-feathered wings with stiff plumes that were crimson tipped in ebon. Long, thick, yet sinuous necks with formidable heads mounted atop them. Their heads were somewhere between a bird's and a lizard's, with a great eagle's beak that melted seamlessly into scales. Two pairs of wicked, curving horns adorned their heads. They had long tails that lashed about like whips, and on each of their chest's was the telltale Heartless insignia.

Something was off about it though. Riku squinted to see it better. The insignia now bore two pairs of wings, and the colors had changed. Instead of black with crimson, they were now black with violet. "Sora… What exactly is going on? I've never heard of a Crusader Heartless before." Riku stood worriedly by his friend who now held the Keyblade firmly between them and the invaders.

"Of course you haven't they're new. They only started appearing about a year ago, and their attacks have been infrequent." The brunet responded.

"Sora! Riku! What is going- Holy!" Cloud started to shout as he and the others approached from the direction of second district, but the minute he saw the Heartless he let out an exclamation.

"What the Hell are those things?" Cid yelled as he and Leon came out of the accessory shop.

"They're called Crusaders. They're a new type of Heartless." Sora began. He dismissed the Keyblade, much to the shock and horror of the others.

"What are you-?" Yuffie started but Sora was continuing.

"I can't fight them with that. Maybe I could've a while ago but now…" He shook his head. "The biggest difference between these and other Heartless is that they're sentient. They can learn how to counter attack my Keyblade, and Banisher is well marked believe me. Not to mention when one learns something, then they all know it." Sora sighed and scratched his head. "There is one Keyblade I have that can defeat them but…"

"But?" Leon questioned.

"But I left the Key chain sitting on the foldout bed back at the house in third district." Sora finished.

"Then we'll hold them here until you can hurry back with it." Cloud proclaimed as he withdrew his gargantuan sword.

"NO!" Sora exclaimed horrified. "It'll take me at least ten minutes to get the Key chain and return. Those Heartless can learn enough of you fighting style to accurately predict your every move in only five minutes! You'll be dead by the time I reach the house!"

"What other choice do we have! … Sora?" Leon began to exclaim but stopped as he noticed the Key master wasn't listening. He chewed his thumb in thought so deep he didn't even notice his teeth drew blood. Pondering one of the most difficult decisions he'd ever had to make. Finally he sighed.

"I'm going to run for the house in third district." He announced quietly, his eyes hidden by his hair. "But I don't want any of you to fight the Crusaders. The friend of mine who owns the Gummi ship is staying in the hotel in second district. I'll get him to come over and hold them until I return. He'll be able to."

"Your friend is here?" Riku exclaimed surprised. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because, you won't like him." Sora said quietly. He walked towards Riku. Without warning he suddenly embraced his friend. "And when you realize who it is I pray to whoever is listening that you forgive me for bringing him here." He released the surprised teen. "I'm so sorry Riku." With that he made a mad dash for the entrance to second district. One thought rang in his mind:

_**"Ansem! Get your Darkness obsessed ass out here and save my best friend!"**_

Riku stood in shock for a few seconds after Sora had left. "What?" He questioned quietly, but the others were just as confused as he was.

"Hey guys!" Yuffie cried startled "I hate to bring up the bad news but those things are starting to move towards us!" Sure enough the Crusaders had begun their advance, taking swift, steady steps. "I wish Sora's friend would get here soon-. Hey what's that?" Everyone looked to where Yuffie was pointing: a black pool of darkness, like the ones Heartless emerge from, had formed between them and the Crusaders.

Suddenly a figure broke through it and hovered over the pool. "'Don't recall see in' one like that before." Cid commented as he and the rest of them observed what looked to be a Heartless that was mostly torso. "But he looks kinda _familiar_…" The others nodded their agreement, but all the same, no one could place where they had previously seen this creature.

The floating black beast then reached back into the pool from which it had emerged and seemed to grab a hold of something. Then it carefully lifted another figure out of darkness. A figure that had long platinum hair, tan skin, and wore a long coat and clothing that almost resembled a uniform. There was no way Riku could ever forget this person; not in a hundred thousand years. He began to shake uncontrollably.

"Riku? What's wrong?" Cloud asked worriedly, his attention torn between the panicked teen and the new arrival. The silver-haired boy's eyes were locked on the figure that the black creature had since set on the ground where the pool had closed up. The tall man that had emerged turned to face the assembled group, completely disregarding the Heartless behind him. Orange eyes gazed with amusement at the assembled party. A name burst forth from everyone's mouths involuntarily.

"Ansem!"

"Hello." He said conversationally, waving one gloved hand in polite greeting.

"What are you doing here!" Riku demanded anger overcoming fear. "Sora destroyed you! Why are you alive!" Ansem chuckled.

"As much as I would _love _to share idle chat with you dear Riku, I think…" He turned to face the Crusaders and his smile turned into a malicious grin "…that first we need to get rid of certain unwelcome parties!" He laughed as he faced the monsters down as best he could from his vantage point on the ground.

"What's going on?" Yuffie demanded "Why is he back? Wasn't he dead? And why is he facing the Heartless? Aren't they his minions?" Suddenly an expression of realization consumed her face. "No…" She whispered. "If he's facing the Heartless then is he the one Sora said he would send…?"

"No! That can't be!" Riku exclaimed, "Sora would never-!"

"_Because, you won't like him." Sora said quietly. He walked towards Riku. Without warning he suddenly embraced his friend. "And when you realize who it is I pray to whoever is listening that you forgive me for bringing him here." He released the surprised teen. "I'm so sorry Riku."_

The memory was still fresh having only taken place a few minutes ago. "He just can't be!" Riku denied weakly.

Ansem, however, now stood directly in front of the Crusaders, effectively blocking their path. The first one reared to it's full height of twenty-five feet, unfurled its wings to full span of forty feet, and let loose and ear-piercing scream. "Outttt offf ourr wayyy." A deep yet whispery voice carried out of another of the Heartless' beak.

"Oh Gawd!" Yuffie cried and took a step back. "It talks!"

"I won't step aside." Ansem said firmly.

"Thennn Dieeee." The lead Crusader roared again and cast a mighty Firaga.

"Ha! Is that the Best you can do? Come Guardian!" Eclipse appeared in front of his master and negated the fiery assault. Ansem grinned and a dark aura began to gather, suddenly all light seemed to be drawn to the former Heartless master and he glowed. "My strength returns…" Suddenly Eclipse burst through the ground in a series of small portals, his face appearing and blasting the enemy over and over.

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Ansem asked the Heartless. He sent blasts of light out in every direction, hitting three of the Crusaders. "The final darkness is mine!" The platinum haired man shouted victoriously. None of the Heartless were damaged significantly, though the former darkness master was successfully driving them backwards, albeit slowly.

Ansem was now hovering above the ground, his arms crossed and his guardian returned to his normal position behind him. Eclipse was still for a moment only to suddenly throw scythes of light at the Crusaders, keeping them at bay for a few more precious seconds. Suddenly one of the braver Heartless made a mad dash towards Ansem. The Crusader swiped with his claws so quickly the eye could almost not keep up, and the former Heartless master barely managed to dodge the lightning-speed swipe.

Before anyone could so much as blink the invader countered with furious Thunderaga which quickly consumed all of the immediate area with bolts of uncontrolled electricity. When the lightning died down the figures of Ansem and Eclipse became visible. The Guardian had blocked the attack for his master, but attack had left its mark. Both Ansem and Eclipse were losing strength from the few, but monumentally powerful attacks the Crusaders launched as if they were nothing.

Eclipse appeared in front of Ansem again and the two of them rocketed back and forth across the square hitting the Heartless, who had no time to dodge. One of the Crusaders struck at the platinum haired man again, but a glowing yellow barrier erected itself around the levitating man as Eclipse possessed one of the Heartless. "Come, open your heart." Ansem told it mockingly. None of the Crusaders managed to break the barrier, but it was obvious that what Sora had said about them learning different fighting styles is true: they were slowly getting more adept at chipping away at the former Heartless master. Ansem jetted over to the other side of the square where his guardian joined him once again.

One of the large creatures charged. "Insolent fool!" Ansem accused snarling. Eclipse delivered a punch to the Crusader's head, his fist pulsing with dark energy. "Submit!" Ansem demanded. The Heartless did no such thing as it screamed again and dashed out of the guardian's reach. The five gathered together, almost as if forming ranks. Ansem growled as he realized they had just collectively figured out how to bring him down: He could defend well enough against one Crusader, but defending against five at once was absolutely out of the question.

"Dammit Sora. You'd better get back soon." Ansem muttered. "Or there may not be anyone around to save your friend."

A/N: Oh! I really liked that chapter! I was really proud of the Crusaders (I drew a picture of one! ), and I was reasonably pleased with Ansem's fight scene. Especially considering it was probably the hardest thing to write that I have yet written for this story! I took his actual battle quotes directly from the game! Oh, but sometimes it was hard to hear what he said, so if any of those are wrong, feel free to correct me! See ya!


	8. Chapter the 8th

A/N: I'm back! Italy was too much fun! And now I'm going to rant about my trip, so if you don't care, just skip ahead. It really doesn't bother me! First, we had a tour guide whose name was, quite seriously, Romeo. We visited Rome, which was like New York City, and we visited the Vatican, Trivoli fountain, The Pantheon, the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, Trajan's column, the Castle of the Angel's, and the Spanish steps. In Florence we saw some of the biggest cathedrals you can imagine, and the David. Yes, _the _David. We visited Piza for the day and saw the famous leaning tower, which is, as it turns out, only the bell tower for a cathedral, which is also leaning slightly. We visited the Leonardo da Vinci museum in Vinci, and then drove back to Florence for the last few hours of the day. After that we had the crappiest hotel you can imagine in Jessolo (no A/C, no elevators, and a whole lot of noise), which reminds me of a Florida beach town and was an hour and a half away from Venice, which was where we were supposed to be. (I got the coolest mask there!) After Venice, which was crowded as Hell, we drove to Assisi, where we saw the Cathedral of St, Mary of the Angels (I love Angels!). I hiked up to the top of Assisi (which sits of the side of a fricking mountain so it's no easy task believe me!) and the climbed to the top of the look out tower. After that we visited the Basilica of St. Francis, which was a cathedral over a cathedral over a tomb. After that we drove to Rome, staying at a four star hotel with A/C and elevator's thank God. And then the next morning we had to wait four hours for our flight to Munich, and then we had an hour to get to our nine-hour flight to get back to the US. Not fun, let me tell you! But overall I had a blast so I'm not complaining. Though I'm so stiff from all the walking and exhausted from the jetlag that you should be grateful for this update. Seriously, right now to me it's like six hours ahead of what my watch says.

Anyhow…Oh my God is it really the eighth chapter? To be honest I didn't think I'd make it this far! Of course I fully intended to, but you know, poop happens. I hope you've been enjoying what you've read, as it has been quite the time consumer. I almost failed English because of this! Anyway, thanks to all of you readers who have been with me through this whole absence, cursing me for taking my vacation and leaving it at a cliff hanger. This story has a crazy long way to go yet!

Review responses:

**_Galerians57_**- Glad you liked the Heartless. You were the only one who welcomed me home did you know? Not even Boogiepop reborn did, she just sent me an email talking about a Canadian town called Dildo O.o I'm grateful for the thought, as it really raised me spirits enough to haul my sore butt out of bed and get this thing online. I hope you enjoy it! It's been quite the wait!

**_Xeora_**- Yeah, yeah, enough with the chewing, I need that arm to type this story out you know:P

**_Fire Neko of Doom_**- Thanks for taking the time to review! I'm glad you like it, and it's nice to hear that people are excited about my writing. Don't worry about laziness, no one can beat me at being lazy. :)

**_RuN-Fr0m-h3r3_**- Yes, poor Riku finally knows… These poor guys have more problems then not! I hope it's worth it too! Sora will have one heck of an explanation to give and as for the obstacles… heh, you have no idea!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last time: **"Dammit Sora. You'd better get back soon." Ansem muttered. "Or there may not be anyone around to save your friend."**

Nobody even so much as breathed in the mere minute in which nothing at all moved. The Crusader's sturdy legs were tensed and ready to spring, Ansem and his guardian were prepared to fire everything into one final shot. However, neither one of the two actions were destined to take place, for at that exact moment new presence arrived and intervened.

The Heartless suddenly went wild in agitation of some unknown force, frightening even them. They danced nervously as a horse might under the stress of whatever it was they felt. Ansem as well felt the new presence, but instead of worrying, he was rather grinning most maliciously. "Now you're going to get it." He said smugly.

A moment later, Riku and the others felt the power as well. The silver-haired teen could literally feel the breath stolen from his body; never had he felt a power so… so … it was indescribable, and somehow oh-so familiar. It was like basking in a gently ray a sunshine in an otherwise dark world.

"Sorry that I'm so late." The newcomer stated, though Riku was still in such a daze that he failed to recognize the voice immediately. "But now that I'm here how about we finally crash this impromptu party." Riku looked up to see a slightly smirking Sora… who was holding the most ornate Keyblade he'd ever seen. It was a shining golden color, with a relatively standard reach. But all along it's handle and it's shaft there were wire-thin adornments running in intricate, curving, web-like designs. The actual blade of the key was enormous and would do quite a bit of damage to anything it connected with. But the really strange thing about the key was that it actually _glowed,_ it didn't reflect the light of the lamps but rather it seemed to make it's own light.

Riku realized why the Keyblade felt so familiar. Somehow, it was something _very_ intimate with Sora; it was like a bit of his soul borne forth for the world to see and gaze at its magnificence. The silver-haired teen wasn't sure how, but somehow this Keyblade _was_ Sora.

Said Key master completely disregarded the steps and jumped right into the square, right between Ansem and the Heartless. "How about we start, Crusaders?" Sora asked them rhetorically. "Do you think you can handle this Key when all those who have tried to before have not?" He shook his head. "Doesn't matter anyway." The Crusaders whimpered and growled, snarled and snorted, but did not flee despite their obvious desire to do so.

Sora raised the golden Keyblade into an attack position, and with no warning he dashed forward, straight for the lead Crusader. The Heartless reared as Sora came within striking distance, but that did nothing to save it. The gold Key pulsed audibly and shined all the brighter. Sora swung the Keyblade in an arc behind him, before swinging it around and completely cleaving the Crusader in two. The Heartless gave one final shriek before disintegrating into millions of flecks of darkness and disappearing.

Riku could only stare on in complete shock. _What kind of Keyblade is that, that can totally decimate such a powerful Heartless in one shot?_ Leon, Cloud, Cid and the others seemed to be just as shocked as Riku, their mouths hanging open and eyes wide. "Show them." The silver-haired teen turned as he heard Ansem's whispered comment, though no one else did, not with the noise and excitement of the battle. "Show them what the Authority of the Doors can do!" Riku's eyes widened as he heard this. "Show the worlds the might of the Key Master, the Maestro of the Balance!"

Another shriek snapped Riku's attention back to battle at hand, and he watched as another of the Heartless fell to the merciless sweep of the golden key. Sora pivoted on his left foot and faced the Crusader directly behind him. A flash of ochroid, and an animalistic a cry of fear and pain cut short. The third heartless of five fell to the seemingly almighty Keyblade. The Keyblade master let out a cry of surprise and rolled out of harm's way when, the remaining two Crusaders, taking advantage of his momentary distraction with the other of their numbers, stomped and swiped and attempted to trample him.

Sora pointed the golden Keyblade straight ahead from where he was in a half-kneeling position on the cobbles. The weapon began to crackle and glowed brighter then ever before. The brunet fluidly slid into a standing posture and swung the Keyblade in swift wide arcs and circles, tossing it once to spin dizzily in the air, as if it was a standard he wielded instead of the great Key, before catching it casting the most beautifully devastating spell Riku had ever seen. Light collected at the tip of the key before shooting forward in a powerful blast.

The last two Crusaders screamed as the light over took them and then were completely decimated, leaving nothing behind. The silence of the square was heavy, almost too much so to be broken. No one moved and no one spoke. Sora then turned to face his friends, a sort of apologetic expression on his countenance. He then drew a breath and turned to face Ansem, whose presence hadn't yet been explained. He walked forward until he stood in front of the platinum haired man.

"Thanks." Was all that the brunet said. Ansem allowed his eyes to smile in place of his mouth.

"Sure." He responded.

"Riku, Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, Cid, and Aeris probably wouldn't be here if you hadn't…" Sora trailed off.

"You called, and I answered. That's all there is to it." The former Heartless master replied.

Riku watched this exchange with others, his head reeling. _So Sora really did…?_ How was this possible? Why was Ansem alive? Why were he and Sora on friendly terms? _What exactly is happening here?_

"Sora?" He called out, desperately hoping that there was a plausible excuse behind this, and he wouldn't have to endure another soul-wrenching circumstance. "What is going _on?_"

"I think we'd all like to know." Leon interjected, his stone-cold glare focused on Ansem. Sora sighed.

"Well, that's- Ahhh!" He fell to his hands and knees with a sudden exclamation of pain, his fist gripping the handle of the Keyblade tightly.

"Sora!" Riku cried out and ran to help his friend. However, Ansem stepped in front of the teen, blocking his path.

"You mustn't touch him." The tall man said quietly.

"Get out of my way!" Riku demanded, his worry overruling any remaining fear.

"He'll be fine again in a moment. Give it a little time. This happens every time he uses _that_ Keyblade." Ansem continued to speak softly. "Watch."

Riku waited against all judgement with his heart in his throat. At first it seemed like nothing was happening, but then with a start, the teen saw exactly what was going on. He had first though Sora had dyed the pinnacle of each spike in his hair black; but Riku now saw that they weren't dyed… they were stained. And to the silver-haired youth's ever-increasing horror, the area of black tint was getting larger. Eventually the stain stopped spreading, leaving Sora gasping for breath on his hands and knees. Almost the entire of every spike was now black.

"You may go to him now." Ansem said with a nod at Riku.

"Sora! Are you alright?" The teen asked worriedly as he dropped down by his best friend.

"Don't worry Riku." Sora ground out as he caught his breath. "I'll be fine. Could you help me stand?" The older boy gently reached down and pulled Sora up with him when he stood, the brunet leaning heavily on the aqua-eyed teen.

"How many times?" Ansem asked quietly.

"Do you mean that I have used, or that I have left." Sora responded in the same soft tone.

"What you have left." Sora didn't respond immediately.

"Two, maybe three more times, but no more then that." The former Heartless master remained silent.

With his friend as his crutch, Sora hobbled past Ansem and over to the assembly of his friends.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation." He stated quietly.

"You most certainly do." Leon replied coldly. "Start with that gold Keyblade, and make sure you a give a reason for _him," _he jerked his head towards Ansem "to be here. It had better be a good one."

Sora sighed. "As you wish. But this won't be an easy story to listen to. It's filled with things that no one wants to hear. I hope you can forgive me for hiding this from all of you, but if you'll let me, I'll also give you my reasons." The Key master drew a long calming breath, exhaling slowly.

"Alright, this gold Keyblade is another one of my creations, like Shadow Banisher. However, it's, at the same time, not quite like it at all. They share they same maker, and are both powerful Keyblades, but that's where the similarities end. Shadow Banisher is a relatively normal Keyblade, and it will exist after my death, waiting for the next Keyblade master to come along and claim it. That is not so with this one.

"This Key, is a representation of half my soul, it is either the light side, or the dark one. I'm not sure which."

"But it's so _bright_. Wouldn't it be the lighter half?" Yuffie asked curiosity getting the better of her.

"You'd think so." Sora said quietly "But for all I know about this Key, it could very well be my dark side. It certainly seems to be tainting my soul black." Riku spared a glance at the stained hair of his friend. "All Keyblade masters have to have two personnel Keyblades: one for their light side, and one for their dark side. They will disappear after the Key bearer's death, unlike the other Key chains. A Keyblade master _must_ have both a light and a dark Keyblade for their soul; not having one creates an imbalance in their hearts that will eventually destroy them. If the Key bearer never forges their own personal Keys then they will never risk the imbalance. However, if they don't then they will never reach their full potential. It's a gamble: play it safe with small wins, or take risks and win big or lose it all. I'm not nearly as naïve as I was when I fought him." Sora pointed to Ansem. "I know now that no heart can be nothing but light, no matter who the person is, their heart will contain at least one dark wish. One can, however, become completely consumed by the darkness, but they can also be brought back.

"A person should be made up of nearly equal portions of light and dark, the light outweighing the dark only by a small margin. When a normal person's balance becomes skewed, then they either become a Heartless when the darkness wins, or when the light wins, they become a… something else. I'm not sure what. With a Key master, things are different. A Key bearer cannot truly become a Heartless, I found that out myself when I was first at Hollow Bastion, and I was able to return to my true state of being.

"When a Keyblade master's balance is corrupted they disappear." Sora paused and drew another breath.

"They disappear? What do you mean?" Cloud asked.

"I don't really know. Perhaps they just die. Perhaps their soul wanders in darkness, or light whichever won out, for the rest of eternity. Maybe they just go somewhere else." Sora shook his head. "Either way, I'm bound for that same fate, if things continue the way they are now. To be able to make the Key for the other side of myself, I have to know which this one is. If I can't forge a Keyblade that is the other half of my soul, then I too will disappear, once I cannot use this Key anymore and it consumes me, I'll just vanish. As you heard me tell Ansem, I can only use this Key a maximum of three more times."

Sora held the Keyblade up for the assembled group to see. "This Key, the Hallowed Crystal, will claim my soul."

A/N: And chapter eight has ended! That was actually about a page longer then I intended! I just want you all to know I'm having a great time writing this! I hope you're having as much fun reading it! Okay, now things get a little bit bumpy. I know where this story is headed, but it's going to take a little more effort on my part to get there. Let's just hope we get there in one piece! Also a word of warning: there are a _lot_ of explanations in coming chapters. If that sort of thing bores you… grit your teeth and bear it because you need to know it to get the story! Bye! I'm going to take a nap now!


	9. Chapter the 9th

A/N: Welcome all readers to the ninth chapter of 'Padlock and Locksmith!' And just a side note, perhaps in several chapters, not sure exactly how many, I'll be introducing some other characters, but they won't be OC's. They'll be characters from the game or a Final Fantasy series that I fully intend on having more fun with. Kinda like I took some… ah… _liberties_ with Ansem's character, I'll be messing with them too! So we'll wait and see what happens! On another note, this chapter is more explanations, please bear with me.

**_Important A/N Note:_** I'd like to apologize that it took me longer then a week to get this chapter online, but there have been some problems at home. My great aunt on my mother's side recently died, and my great aunt on my father's side might be dying. As sick as it is, I'm glad I don't know them that well or I could very well be in a seriously depressed slump, more so then I am. Also, a dog of ours that had gone missing before my trip to Italy was just found dead. We knew she would be, but we never expected to find her. I'm getting over it, but it still hurts. Trying to keep a happy outlook. Special thanks to you Boogiepop reborn! I think that disorganized, yet very entertaining catastrophe that was your party did a lot of good. :) That and the _FF7 Advent Children_ preview X-Play aired was also rather motivating. God that movie looks cool.

Review responses (I had eight! A record!)

**_Xeora_**- A reading snack huh? That salt burns us badly. Really.

**_Boogiepop reborn_**- Yes, I know you didn't know which was why I mentioned it. Ha! Guilt trip! Not really… and if you did have a kid like Mike TV he'd outsmart you within an hour. Like his dad said "half the time I don't know what he's talking about." That's not quite the way I'd have picked to describe Sora… () And as for the pairing you suggested… I know your goal in life other then ruling a third world country is to make everyone else as screwed up as you are, but please, KEEP THINGS LIKE THAT TO YOURSELF! YUCK! And I'll be a lazy buttmunch if I want to. :P

**_Fire Neko of Doom_**- Glad you liked it and I'm happy the explanation was acceptable, 'cause there's lots more of those.

**_Galerians 57_**- I'm happy you welcomed me back! And I'm happy you like the plot twist. And yes, our tour guide was really named Romeo. Little did he know that he was the subject of many bad jokes. (Romeo, Romeo, Where for art thou Romeo?) Not to mention when he asked my name I was hard pressed to keep from answering him: "If I said my name was Juliet would you _Cap_-ulet my butt?" It was pretty bad, but we had fun. I asked if I could take a picture of him and he told me my camera would break.

**_Coley_**- First of all, thanks for reviewing! Second, I'm glad you love the story and approve of it's creativity, considering my dipstick of a younger sibling warned me that no one was going to like just how weird it is now and is going to get later.

**_hikarienzeru_**- I'd like to thank you for reviewing for the first time, and I'd also like to thank you for the praise. I'm glad you approve of the explanation, and I'm very flattered by your comment that this could have been a sequel game, as that's probably the highest praise a KH fanfiction writer can receive. Really, it means a great deal to me. I'm glad you like the action scene as I thought it was satisfactory enough as far as action scenes go. As for where the story is headed? Well you'll just have to wait and see:) And don't worry. I have every intention of making this story as long as possible!

**_takeru-rocks_**- Well I love your friggin' review! It's completely awesome:) I'm happy this was more exciting then that Magic the Gathering card. Believe me I know, despite not knowing much about them that they do at least look very neat. Yeah, my younger sibling and a friend of mine like them so I can at least appreciate that aspect. Tell your friend I said I was sorry making you ignore him!

**_Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodisiac_**- I'm glad you love it. That makes me happy:) I'm happy you saw the connection between the light, the good, and the problem that's taking place, though, we still don't know if the Key is light or dark. Haven't typed that far yet… If you want to know though, the reasoning behind including this odd relationship, besides that fact that it is important to the story, is that saying 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.' I really believe there is a certain amount of wisdom to that, after all, a person can talk all they'd like, but it's that action, or lack there of people respond to, not the intention. :P

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last time: **Sora held the Keyblade up for the assembled group to see. "This Key, the Hallowed Crystal, will claim my soul."**

"The Hallowed Crystal…" Leon murmured to himself before asking more loudly: "Did you name it that? I had the impression you didn't have such a twisted sense of humor."

"When I create a Keyblade, the name is almost a natural thing. It just sort of comes to me." Sora told him quietly. "Anyway, as I'm sure you heard from Donald and Goofy, we parted ways when out goals changed. However, I was soon deviated from my goal of finding Riku," he nodded at his best friend "by him." Sora gestured to Ansem.

"How exactly did you meet? I thought he was dead." Yuffie questioned giving the platinum haired man a suspicious look.

"He was basically as spirit when he controlled Riku." Sora began. "The only way he had a body was through him. When he was exposed to the light of Kingdom Hearts, he was finally free from the darkness in his own heart that drove him to the brink of insanity. Being reduced to a shadow of what he once was, the only way for him to really go on living was to merge with someone else's mind. _I_ was the best choice. At last that's what he tells me. Whether it's true or not I don't know, but even if it isn't, he's still been more help then I'd like to admit."

"Are you absolutely _sure_ though." Leon said strictly.

Sora chuckled quietly. "He's been with me almost since I fought him. I'm pretty sure." Ansem walked over to the group and stood quietly.

"Hello again _leader._" Leon said coldly. "Forgive me if I don't welcome you back gladly."

To everyone's, except Sora's, surprise, the former Heartless mast grinned and replied: "That's good. I'd be worried if you _did._" He snorted and crossed his arms. "I have no illusions about any of you ever accepting me. However, I ask that if you continue to work with Sora, that you at least be civil."

To Sora he said: **_"If they even dare to try anything on Eclipse I reserve every right to torture them slowly until death."_ **The Keyblade master knew he wasn't kidding.

**_"I can't ask you not to act, as you wouldn't listen to me anyway, but please give them fair warning at least. I really don't think them harming Eclipse is an issue, but I don't want to have to choose sides."_** Sora asked quietly.

**_"Of course you don't. It's a lose/lose situation for you. Either go with your heart or your help. You need both; losing one would be bad."_** Ansem responded.

**_"Careful darkness obsessed. If it were between you and Riku… Let's say you're secondary. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful to you, but I love Riku_."** Sora told him.

**_"I understand. It's the same if it were between you and Eclipse."_ **Ansem responded.

Riku and the others watched them give a wordless exchange to one another, Riku becoming more worried by the minute. _What is going on?_

Sora however, was puzzled by Ansem's response. "**_But if I die then you both die and if you die then so does Eclipse. I'm not following your logic."_**

_**"I'd rather die with my guardian then go it alone."** _Was the solemn reply. Eclipse gave off a happy feeling and hovered closer to Ansem.

"Uh Sora? What was that?" Cloud asked, blinking confusedly.

"Ever since Ansem and I joined, we've been connected mind to mind. I'm not sure how to explain it. Basically Ansem, Eclipse, and I are able to speak to one another without words." Sora told them.

"Alright that makes more sense. Sort of." Cloud nodded and Riku spoke up.

"Alright, I know Ansem, but who's Eclipse?" His voice was quiet. Sora leaned a little bit more on Riku unconsciously.

"That's his place to introduce himself if he wants to. However, Ansem says he'll inflict bodily harm on whoever touches him." Ansem winced.

"That's not quite the way I worded it, but that about sums it up."

"Is he going to step forward or not?" Cid demanded impatiently.

Eclipse teleported from behind his master to in front of the group. He gave one swift, low, bow, carefully _not_ speaking, before disappearing and reappearing behind Ansem. "_That's_ Eclipse?" Cloud gasped, so surprised that he didn't register how blunt he sounded.

"I always thought that that thing was just another Heartless." Cid muttered. Before Ansem could shed blood at the thoughtless comments of the two blondes, Sora leaned off of Riku and stepped forward.

"You," He pointed to Ansem "Calm down. You," he pointed to Cid and Cloud "think before you speak." He drew a breath. "Ansem no longer rules the Heartless, he was freed of that blame over two years ago. Eclipse is not a Heartless, or he would've disappeared. I'm not sure what he is though, other then Ansem's ever-present guardian."

Leon nodded and seemed to accept it. Whether or not he like Sora's answer the Key master didn't know. " Alright then." He said with small sigh. "Anything else you're willing to tell us?"

"Depends on what. I don't have answers to everything, but I'm more then willing to tell you what I do know." Sora said.

"Then I have a question." Cloud responded before anyone else could.

"Go ahead." Sora nodded

"Tell me everything you know about what is going on with the Heartless." Cloud asked evenly. The others gave murmurs of assent.

"I know I'd like to know." Yuffie stated bluntly. "I'm going to have a hard time fighting with you if I don't know what's what." Sora blinked confusedly at that.

"Oh come on Sora!" Cloud said grinning at the bemused boy. "You don't really expect us to let you go off and have all the fun for yourself, do you?" Sora chuckled at that.

"I guess not."

"That's right." Cloud stated triumphantly.

"Alright then, listen up!" Sora said determinedly. "I'd really rather not repeat myself 'cause there is a lot of information to cover!" He cracked his knuckles like he was about to undertake a particularly challenging task. Ansem twitched at the sound. "About two years ago, six months after Ansem and I started to get along," he looked at the platinum haired man "well, sort of. Anyway six months after we came to an agreement, we met up with a group of Heartless. We were off of our 'home world' at that time, in a place known as the Lion's Kingdom."

"Your home world?" Riku asked "What do you mean? Surely it wasn't the Destiny Islands?"

"No. I really haven't been back their since we first left. Ansem, Eclipse and I have since taken up residence in the world of Hollow Bastion. The library and other facilities were useful to a Key master in-training." Sora told him "Anyway, it was obvious what they were, as they were most out of place. At first I thought that they were left from Ansem's reign over them, and I told him to make them disappear. However, I learned that this was not the case when he couldn't control them. We weren't sure where they came from, but it was obvious something or someone else was manipulating them.

"Since then we've seen many different types of Heartless, though many of them were exactly like the ones that invaded worlds the first time. Most though, weren't. Many were new Heartless that we'd never seen before. Some were more powerful then others, and so far the Crusaders take the cake for the most powerful Heartless I've ever fought." He sighed. "One thing is pretty clear however. For them to be using many of the same Heartless species that Ansem was, they must have possession of one thing." He shook his head. "It must be a copy, since I have the original."

"Ansem's report." Leon spoke solemnly. "The one he wrote on the Heartless."

Sore nodded "Exactly." He shook his head again. " I know I didn't copy it, and Ansem says he didn't copy it, so there is only one person who ever had access to it that would have been able to." The others were silent as they thought of all the possible culprits. Yuffie snapped her fingers suddenly.

"That cricket guy! Then one who was documenting your journey! Jimmy or something!" Sore nodded.

"Yes, that's him. His name is Jiminey(sp?). I've already contacted him and asked. He said that he had copied it so that if something happened to the original we'd still have the reference. He hadn't know his copy was missing until I asked him about it and he checked. Someone stole it, though he never remembered seeing anyone he didn't know. Whoever they were, they were very careful about it.

"We've been searching every world we could to find them, but so far there's been no luck. We did find however, that there is a particular pattern to the Heartless' invasions. They send two waves: one contains almost every kind of the lower class species. The second contains usually one type of more powerful Heartless." Sora continued.

"The Crusaders." Riku whispered.

"Yes, but not always. I've only fought the Crusaders four times including this last one. The first battle I had with them was enough for the entire species to mark all of my Keyblades, except Hallowed Crystal. Now that's the only one I've got that works against them." Sora sighed. "Ansem has assured me that there is only one type of person who are able to make Heartless, and he says that whoever they are, there's no possible way they could be that type of person." He growled then and glared at the former Heartless master. "Of course, he has yet to tell me what type of person that is." He sighed again then. "But he tells me what I need to know if I need to know it. So I'm not all that worried about that aspect.

"However, we did some research in the library to see if there was anything to give an ordinary person those kinds of powers." Sora shook his head. "Unfortunately there is."

"What is it?" Cloud asked apprehensively. Sora didn't say anything for a moment. Eventually after lengthy pause he finally spoke up.

"They have to have something called J E N O V A."

A/N: And so ends chapter nine. Hey did any of you see that last bit coming? Admit it, it surprised you! Sorry there has been so many explanations in this story, but unfortunately, that's what secrets lead to. So HA! Sorry… Please review and tell me what you think!


	10. Chapter the 10th

A/N: OMFG! Is it really the tenth chapter? The tenth! And the plot _is _developing! Who'd have thunk it? Anyway, the pace will start to pick up in the next chapter (after this one) or so. So don't panic! The story is going somewhere!

**_Important Note_**: I'm sorry! I know this thing is drastically overdue to the ten billionth power! But it's really not my fault! Well it kind of is….. But Anyway! During a power surge my computer decided to go and die on me, and so I've been trying to, in the words of a friend of mine, phoenix down the stupid thing so it lives again! However after it came back to life my Internet decided to say 'screw you looser!' and _that_ didn't work for weeks…It still doesn't, and I've had to use drastic measures to get this sucker online… Not to mention school has started and I really hate school. My schedule absolutely sucks big time. I'd really like to apologize again, and though I can't promise I'll update regularly, I'm certainly going to try! To get things done sooner!

Review responses:

**_Xeora_**- Well if you damn my suspense and me you'll never find out what happens. Congrats with the muffins! I can't cook anything to save my soul. Mmm, good muffins. And about my arm… As it is it's pretty much scarred beyond repair, I'll have to get an arm like Albel Nox. From _Star Ocean_. I'll have to get an evil Albel claw! Then how will I type!

**_Coley_**- Yep, FUN. But not for Sora and crew. :) I'm happy it's your favorite story. It's easily the best thing I've ever written to date. Let's hope it'll only get better and not worse.

**_Boogiepop reborn_**- Ah, Don't worry about my family problems. And you and your sister acting like total morons was half the fun! Makes my life look pseudo normal. _I _still don't know what you're talking about half the time. Yes you should update. :P And I never thought I'd see the day you'd rave about a Femslash pairing. Especially not _that_ one. You do realize that could count as both Beast and Femslash…

**_hikarienzeru_**- Heh, you know what I typed this chapter out it did sound like Jiminey was the bad guy. So don't worry even _I _thought so. Sorry about the explanations, they're there so I don't have to explain it, along with everything else later when the plot really gets moving. As it is I'm sure they're will be another lengthy explanation later. Yes I am trying to add more Final Fantasy. Too much Disney for me to know what to do with all the happiness. Love it to death, but can't write it to save my soul. I'll try to keep the work consistently good. Rather of course then consistently bad. I love hearing people love my story, and I'm sorry for the wait.

**_Galerians57_**- I think you're the only one who cares what's happening to me on the outside. Don't worry about it, though I'm glad you thought to send you condolences. Makes me happy. I'll try to keep the writing good quality, and I'll see if I can't get this story moving.

**_Fluffy_**- Hey! First time you've reviewed! Glad you opted to waste that time for my sake! Yep JENOVA. I'd say Oh Snap pretty much covers it. As for Sephiroth and Cloud… READ AND FIND OUT! HAHAHAHAHA. Ahem… So you're used to Sora being blushy? So am I, which was why I wanted to make him a little less naïve. I mean really, how can someone go through everything he's been through and be as naïve as some people see him? However, you needn't fear. I have taken your request into consideration and have decided that as soon as Riku gets his act together, he'll put Sora in his place (wink wink). Thanks for the suggestion!

**_Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodisiac_**- Oh. My. Freaking. God. When I saw your guess about Hallowed Crystal I almost had a heart attack! It's not a correct guess mind you, but it's a _helluva_ lot closer then I thought anyone was going to guess! Seriously I've gotta give you credit! In all seriousness it sounds a lot better then what I actually have planned, but…. Wow. It's been weeks and I'm still just… wow…. I Flippin' love you!

**_Chany_**- So you're a friend of Coley's? Did Coley recommend this to you or did you find this fic on your own? Doesn't matter…. Welcome! I'm glad you're reading anyway! The SoraxRiku action will get here, but not a for a while. I'm a firm believer in character development, and these guys still have yet to work out their insecurities. Don't worry though. I'm not going to abandon this story for anything other then me dying. I've put to much work into it and I want to see the end just as much as you guys!

**_Yamibakeru_**- I butchered the pronunciation of your new name the first time I saw it. Sorry. Big words give me problems. Kidding. So your takeru-rocks? I hope that means I get to see this newer, harder, name in the reviews more often!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last time: **"However, we did some research in the library to see if there was anything to give an ordinary person those kinds of powers." Sora shook his head. "Unfortunately there is."**

**"What is it?" Cloud asked apprehensively. Sora didn't say anything for a moment. Eventually after lengthy pause he finally spoke up.**

**"They have to have something called J E N O V A."**

"J E N O V A!" Cloud hissed as Aeris and Yuffie gasped and Cid's eyes darkened. "I thought that thing was gone for good!"

"What's J E N O V A?" Riku asked and Leon nodded, also not familiar with the term.

"J E N O V A is a monster. _She_ was believed to be the mother of a powerful warrior. However now, she's nothing but a few remaining pieces of a corpse. The thing is, if a person gets infected with cells from her body…" Sora trailed off and shook his head before he continued. "The thing is, I'm not sure she came from Cloud's world. I think she might've been from different one. The thing is, we can't figure out which it is, and from what little we've seen of her cells so far, they're far closer to a creature of the darkness, like a Heartless, then anything natural from an existing world." He sighed be fore continuing. "However, we've already looked into the only two people alive who would have any connection to it. They're clean, and hidden safely back in Hollow Bastion. Whoever the culprit is, they haven't had 'her' influence for long."

"The two people?" Cloud thought for a moment. "You must mean one of them is Sephiroth!" He exclaimed suddenly, causing everyone to gasp in shock, even more so when Sora nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah, that's his name. Long silver hair with one tainted Angel's wing." He spread Cloud a meaningful glance as he spoke of the single wing. Then he shook his head. "A one winged Angel, a fallen God here as a savior, but only if your heart is dark enough. Yes, he's one of the two that we've taken back to Hollow Bastion. And I'm starting to regret it." He grumbled the last part.

"I can't believe he's still alive! We killed him! I know it!" Cloud exclaimed uncomprehendingly.

"It seems like this is the right time for those-who-should-be-dead-and-yet-aren't." Ansem murmured, chuckling softly.

"Who's the other?" Cid asked, expression shaken due to the discovery that his, Cloud's, Yuffie's, and Aeris's nemesis was still breathing.

"A very inconsolable man." Sora spoke not of the man's form, but of his heart. "Haunted by demons that I won't even try to fathom. I believe the only reason he hasn't been taken by the darkness, is that's he's far too sad, and holds a hope that's far too bright."

"Sora," Yuffie spoke up quietly, much to the surprise of the others "Does he have long black hair, dress in red, and carry a long rifle?"

"You think that it's…?" Cloud let his sentence drop off in shock, adopting an even more stunned look when Sora nodded.

"Yeah, sure does. His name is-."

"Vincent Valentine." Yuffie interrupted him; her hair hid her eyes.

"Yes. Do you know him?" Sora asked. "He rarely speaks, and Ansem, Eclipse, and I don't know much about him."

"He helped us fight Sephiroth." Cid spoke quietly. "Up until this point we'd thought he was dead."

Cloud released a breath he'd been holding. "Glad to here he's still alive."

"You have to take me to him." Yuffie spoke solemnly again. "I need to know something!"

"What is it?" Sora asked gently sensing the emotion behind her voice.

"I need to know if he's forgiven himself yet. If he's finally realized, with everything that's going on, he's _not _a monster." Yuffie's face turned up to look at Sora, her eyes pleading.

Sora nodded in understanding and didn't ask anything. "Alright. Anything else?"

"When do you believe the next attack will be? And on what world?" Leon asked professionally.

Sora shrugged. "I have no idea where it will be, but it won't be for another couple of days at least."

"What do you plan on doing from here?" Riku asked, expression apprehensive.

"Well you know just about everything I know at this point, which means my secrets can no longer be called such. So…" Sora drug the last word out slowly. "… How would you like to help me? I got the feeling that I was the one without the choice." He grinned.

"Damn straight!" Cloud swore happily. Sora looked at the large clock in the square.

"It's about noon now, so why don't you pack together everything you want to take with us, and we'll leave either tonight or tomorrow morning, whichever sounds better when you're done."

"Sounds like a plan. Anything we should bring with us?" Cid asked as he slipped into his business mode.

"A change of clothes, your weapons, and strong constitutions. Other then that it's completely up to you." There were nods and murmurs of understanding before the group, minus Riku and Sora, made for the house in third district. The silver-haired teen looked at his best friend.

"Sora… I owe you an apology." The brunet blinked.

"What for?"

"Because I was taking what you've been doing the past two years for granted. I didn't realize what you'd been going through, and I think I was jealous that you'd been spending all this time with someone else who once again, wasn't me." Riku stared at the ground.

"Believe me Riku, you have nothing to be sorry for. God knows I'd probably feel the same in your position." Sora smiled comfortingly at him.

The turquoise-eyed teen allowed him a wry grin. "But still, _Ansem._ It's kinda hard for me to get a grip on it. I mean, I saw the way he acted back there, so I know he's different, but still…The memories…"

"He's a little off yes, and he does have a very stained history. But he's been a great help, and I would be very badly off without his resources. I can promise you that I won't ever let him attempt to hurt you. He may leave holes in his facts, but if I'd really need to know what's happening then he'll tell me straight away." Sora smiled. "I know you don't trust him, but I hope you trust me enough to believe in my judgement."

"Of course! I can't begin to count the number of times you've been right and I've been wrong! Your judgement is dependable, I know that better then anyone." Riku's smile was supportive.

"You'd better go get your things together. If everyone's as excited about this as I think they are, then we could very well leave tonight." Sora nodded in the direction everyone else left in. "When you get there tell them I've gone to warm up the Gummi ship."

Riku nodded and Sora walked off through the world gate and Riku headed for third district. Ansem, who'd been standing quietly as all this went on, chuckled softly as the two departed. "Well," he spoke aloud as if to no one "I suppose it's a start."

**_"Will it be enough of one, or was it inadequate."_** Eclipse asked his master.

"It will have to work, though I was hoping for something a little better." Ansem replied aloud. "Considering all the factors, and the fact that his responsibilities are divided, it will be quite the challenge to prepare him." The platinum haired man smirked suddenly. "Especially considering the fact that he has no idea what we've got planned for him."

**_"Will the fact that his attention is divided between the Heartless, Riku, and the rest of his friends hinder his development?" _**Eclipse questioned.

"Yes, but hopefully we can use part of that to out advantage." Ansem replied still grinning.

**_"What exactly do you mean master? I'm not sure what it is you're talking about." _**The guardian replied, phrasing his question politely.

Ansem laughed. "Think about it for a moment my darkness! What was Riku supposed to be?"

_**"He was supposed to be the Keyblade master, but because he succumbed to the darkness, the blade chose Sora-."**_

"No!" Ansem laughed again. "That's not it." He smirked to his guardian. "It never ceases to amuse me just _how_ misinformed Maleficent was!" The man shook his head. "Riku was _not_ supposed to be the Keyblade master. Sora was indeed supposed to have possession of that blade. Riku however, is supposed to have during Sora's 'reign' what the King Mickey had during mine."

Eclipse's yellow eyes widened in surprise. **_"Are you certain master? It never happened before you. Are you sure Riku is…? We can't afford to be incorrect! And are you certain that Sora is indeed as you once were? That he's a-?"_**

Ansem stopped his guardian's babble with a raised hand, smiled at his companion and jerked his head in a come-hither motion. Eclipse, though confused and concerned, happily complied and appeared next to his master, and enveloped him in his arms; one around the tall man's shoulders and the other around his abdomen.

Ansem purred happily and turned his head into Eclipse's bulky neck. "I'm quite sure Eclipse, though on Sora's part it's merely an educated guess. Believe me I wouldn't risk making a mistake despite the fact that it's still early in the game." He sighed happily. "We need to cuddle more often…"

The dark guard managed a smile despite the tight bindings around his mouth. **_"I agree. However if what you say is true then we have both Sora and Riku to worry about. That's going to be quite difficult even for you."_**

"Have you no confidence in me?" The platinum haired man joked. "Of course it will be difficult, but they're young and if Riku is like Sora, then they're very willing to learn."

The guardian sighed. **_"I just hope you know what you're doing master."_**

Ansem laughed again. "As do I." He paused a moment. "Eclipse?"

**_"Yes?"_**

"I have a task for you."

**_"Oh? What is it?"_**

"Since it will be harder with both of them, I'd like you to go to Shadow Bastion, and pay a visit to our old friend the King of Hearts, for confirmation."

Eclipse's demeanor immediately sobered. **_"Are you sure that's wise master? It's quite presumptuous of you to ask the Lord of Shadow Bastion what I think you're going to ask, especially since Sora and Riku don't know themselves yet."_**

"Hmm, yes I suppose. But things are happening too fast, and the current Key master's reign has not been a normal or stable one. Of course that is mostly _my_ fault." Ansem replied. He shook his head. "It doesn't matter right now. Go Eclipse. Ask him when you get there. I'm sure he already knows." He looked up into the perpetual night of Traverse Town.

"Ah, the good ol' King of Hearts, instigator of all our current problems."

A/N: Chapter ten is DONE! Hey. If any of you were confused with that last bit between Ansem and his guardian: good. What they were talking about will be revealed later. Though if any of you have any guesses, then I'd love to see them and laugh! No offense, but I told you it would be getting weird, and here is where the real weirdness starts! Heh heh, I love Ansem/Guardian! I want to write more of them because I love them so much, so don't be surprised if you see some more moments between the two of them. And don't worry, Sora and Riku will get it together eventually! If you want to see a romantic scene between any of the couples, (except Sora/Riku, that one's a given) review and let me know ahead of time so I can write it properly! I was thinking I'd do at least one for each of the couples: Sora/Riku, Ansem/Eclipse, Cloud/Leon, and Vincent/Yuffie (Cid/Sephiroth? Heh heh, really I'm joking, sorry.)


	11. Chapter the 11th

A/N: It's chapter eleven! And it's up in a reasonable amount of time!

**_IMPORTANT NOTE:_** Alright, here I'm going to address some issues, which I believe need to be addressed before one of you people eat my soul. Alright, first thing: Chapter length. All my chapters are almost the exact same length, about nine pages on Microsoft Word. That's about roughly two thousand words, in the type size I use, which isn't huge, but it isn't super small either. Alright next: lack of plot development: It is there, it just doesn't make any sense yet. This story is going to be very odd and _very_ long. And I mean _very long_. There's simply too much I want to include to rush things along (I have a three page list of things I want to include). The reason I wrote this story was to tie together all the little things I noticed in the game that weren't explained (Ansem's Guardian), were altered (Cloud and Leon's character designs, character relationships, new characters not in Disney or FF, etc) or things that were left out (everyone from FF9, a thorough explanation of the Heartless and their connection to everything else, and what was the history of the Keyblade). Next issue: My inconsistent updates. My family has a lot of problems right now, and all the technology in my house is possessed. Hollow excuses, but they are true. The next issue: the lack of yaoi so far. Alright, I know you all are impatient for this, but nothing will be happening for a while, as I responded to someone's review, I'm a firm believer in character development, and these guys have a lot of development to do. Yamibakeru inquired about the Yuffie/Vincent pairing, the reason that's included is this: When I first started out reading FF7 fanfiction, I wasn't yet reading yaoi/shounen ai. I also hated Tifa (I still do) and I was having a hard time finding many Cloud/Aeris fanfics that didn't seem to flow oddly. So I ended up reading Yuffie/Vincent and that's just where I'm used to seeing the two of them. If no one wants to read them, then I'll leave them with only hints and will never take it farther then that. Don't ask me to write femslash as I won't touch it with a ten-foot pole (and I absolutely loathe Kairi). Nothing against yuri, I just don't want to read it (or write it). If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me any time. I'd be more then happy to clear up whatever questions you have, and I will take in suggestions so long as they don't screw with the plot of the story. Also, please don't review telling me to update faster, as I simply do _not_ have the time for that. I'm trying to keep so many chapters written ahead of what I have posted, and if I update faster then soon I run out of material, and I don't have the free time to make up the lost ground. You can of course tell me I need to start getting things moving and what not, but I cannot update any faster.

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Review Response:

**_Yamibakeru_**- thanks for being the only reviewer! Everyone else probably forgot about me! Oh well… Sorry the length made you upset, but please review to my note for my reason for that, as well as the Yuffie/Vincent pairing, but as I said up there if people tell me they don't want to see it I'll tone it down. Yeah, plot development. One thing I think people will find in this story is an over abundance of plot. Oh well. Here's an early update to help make up for the time I was MIA. 'Silver Battle?' Heh heh, sounds like fun. If you really want me to put something like that in I'm sure I could mess with that for a chapter somewhere along the line. Though personally I think that you should write your own ideas out, as it's your idea, but whatever. If you were serious then let me know, I can't read minds!

After Sora's explanation of what was going on with the Heartless, Ansem, and himself, everyone rushed back to the house in third district and was packed and ready to go in no more then an hour. All of them were eager to be off, and quite frankly it unnerved Sora at how happy they were with the whole arrangement. Though the Gummi ship Sora and Ansem were using, the Umbra, was rather large for a vessel of its type, that didn't change the fact that there would have to be two or three people to a room.

Ansem and Eclipse were going to share, of course. Sora and Riku agreed to split a room, Yuffie and Aeris, being the two girls were sharing, but with one room left, Leon, Cloud, and Cid had agreed to make the best of the last room all three had to share. Sora made a point of noting how Cloud and Leon looked nervous about the arrangement, while Cid looked put out, but didn't complain.

It wasn't until the ship was about to lift off when Sora noted the absence of one of the passengers. "Hey Ansem? Where's Eclipse?"

"I asked him to run an errand for me. He'll meet up with us at Hollow Bastion." Ansem replied.

"If you say so. I'd think you'd be a little bit more concerned for your own guardian is all." Sora grumbled while Riku watched the exchange between them with interest. Cid had hijacked the controls insisting that _he_ was the pilot, while Leon, Cloud, Yuffie, and Aeris carried on a heated discussion about Shin-Ra or something and poor Leon looked completely lost.

Ansem rewarded Sora with a trouble-making smile. "Please, if I were to do that Eclipse would give me the 'you're the protected and I'm the protector' lecture, about he is more then capable of defending himself, which I know to be true first hand as do you Key master. Besides, he shouldn't be in any danger where he's going." Sora shrugged and leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, which like all of the furniture in the Gummi ship was anchored to the floor.

"Hey Sora?" Riku asked suddenly.

"What?"

"How long does it take to get to Hollow Bastion?" Riku asked.

"From Traverse Town? It usually about a day, a night, and then a half a day to get there. And that's if we don't run into any trouble. Though I haven't seen any Heartless vessels around unless they're heading to attack a world." Sora told his friend as they stared out the window.

"How can you tell when it's night?" Riku asked his friend. "Do you have to look at a clock?"

"Yeah, or we sleep whenever we get tired. Of course, then you usually get used to your own private time schedule, and believe me, it takes a while to get used to normal time again." Sora shook his head. "Take my word for it, it's no fun at all."

Riku smirked. "I believe it. It does sound like something you'd do."

Sora pouted. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." He grumbled. Riku grinned at him.

"Hey! I was just playing! This whole war must be really stressing you out." He spoke the last part with a sincerely concerned tone.

The Key master rolled his eyes. "You have no idea. I can't wait to get back to Hollow Bastion and relax for a few days. I'm wound so tight I'm like a walking, talking, rope knot."

Riku winced sympathetically. "Ouch. A day of laziness will help that. I speak from experience."

"I'll bet you do." It was Sora's turn to smirk at his friend. Riku's only reply was to stick out his tongue and give his companion a raspberry. The conversation continued easily for hours. And for a while, the warriors could pretend that there was no Heartless threat, and that they were a normal group of people. Sora couldn't help but wonder, would his and Riku's life have been like this had they escaped the island and there were no Heartless to fight?

As the members of the group began to feel exhaustion catching up with them, the decision was made to just drop all conversation and head off to bed. It was also decided that Sora would stay up for the first shift and pilot the ship. Once he was finished Ansem would take over, and then Cid would be up early to finish the journey. He was oddly quite happy about it. Well he was a pilot for a reason, was Sora's guess.

The entire ship was quite and dark as Sora stayed up by himself. Only making minor adjustments in the ships trajectory every-so-often. Even when people had been talking and the lights were on space seemed cold. But sitting in the dark silence made it seem like there was nothing that could ever be out there that it seemed so frigidly icy. No other worlds, no other people.

_This space is something that over two years ago I couldn't even dream of experiencing. Look at me now! Flying straight through it!_ Sora shook his head. It was almost surreal how far he'd come. When he looked back on his memories from the Destiny Islands, they almost seemed like they were memories of another person they were so distant.

Sora sighed. What he hadn't told Riku was that he'd been back to the Destiny Islands since his initial defeat of Ansem. He'd gone to make sure that everything had returned to normal. That no one had been hurt and everyone was back to living their lives as they were before the Heartless invaded.

What he'd found out when he'd visited, was that it had returned _completely _to normal, minus two things: Sora and Riku. When Sora had returned there, no one remembered him. No one had known who he, or, when he mentioned Riku, was. Not any of his old friends, and not even his family. He'd remembered how his own mother had looked at him like a stranger, how Selphie, Kairi, Tidus, and Wakka had only smiled at him out of politeness rather then familiarity and friendship.

He'd been greatly upset by this for a while. That no one from his childhood other then Riku even knew who he was. He'd slipped into a depression for several weeks, and nothing Ansem or Eclipse could say or do would make him get up and continue his search for his friend. However, what did force him to wake up and pay attention, was the return of the Heartless. As twisted as it sounded, he owed them for snapping him out of his funk.

He was jolted from his pondering by a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around to see the orange eyes of Ansem. "Your time's up Key-boy. My turn. Go get some sleep while you can."

Sora nodded gratefully as he stood to head to the room he and Riku were sharing. "Hey Ansem?" He asked suddenly with a quiet tone of voice.

"What is it?" Ansem asked just as softly, understanding without words that this was important.

"Do you honestly think we can win this war? Do you think I can actually defeat the heartless?" Sora's eyes were downcast, and held no expression. Ansem was silent for a moment.

"Yes." He said finally. "You can win. You will win. It's that simple. You're not quite ready yet, but soon, you'll end this war. At least until the next Keyblade master is chosen."

"Thank you." Sora said quietly, sincerity in his voice. He began to head for his room when Ansem spoke again, not looking at the Key bearer, but contemplating the space outside the window.

"No matter what it looks like the outcome will be, know that I'll be there to help you till the end." Sora didn't respond, but instead walked down the hall leaving Ansem to get them through to Hollow Bastion.

Sora strode through the main hall in the Gummi ship, trying to be silent so as not to wake anyone else. It was around twelve thirty a.m. so he know no one would appreciate being jogged from a comfortable sleep. He chuckled to himself as he passed the room Cid, Cloud, and Leon were sharing. _With all the tension between Cloud and Leon, and Cid's horribly loud snoring I doubt either of them will be sleeping well tonight._

He opened the door to his own room as softly as he could. Riku, though, was wide-awake to Sora's great surprise. He was sitting cross-legged on the futon he was using, staring intently off into his own little world. Sora waved a hand in front of his friend's face.

"Hey Riku? You in there?" Riku jumped in surprise, nearly tumbling over.

"Sora! Jeez! Give some warning!" He said breathlessly.

"What are you doing up at this time?" Sora asked him. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah. I was never comfortable sleeping in moving vehicles of any kind." He said staring at the floor.

"Is there anything I can do?" Sora asked him gently.

"Yeah," he said after a moment "you can just talk to me. Sometimes talking helps distract me from the fact I'm moving, and I'll go to sleep. Would you mind staying up a little longer?"

"Sure. I had problems when I was first getting used to Gummi ship travel. Eventually you get used to it." Sora said smiling, glad for the excuse to talk to his friend about trivial things again and not all the problems they faced.

Eclipse floated through the deep, black corridors of the great castle. Everything was colored black or dark gray, and the only light to see by was what was reflected from the fearsome gargoyles and demon statues from some unknown source. Considering the obviousness of the darkness here, Eclipse found himself thinking, though certainly not for the first time, that Shadow Bastion was appropriately named.

He continued along his course, sometimes turning and taking a great, high-ceilinged hallway deeper into the castle. Despite the fact that he was moving along at a pace equal to a normal person's run, that halls seemed to go on forever without any end in sight.

After a long time of navigation, Ansem's guardian at last came to a great set of enormous double-doors made of an almost translucent, black stone. Above the foreboding threshold, was mounted a great piece of carved marble, also in black. The stone was delicately sculpted in many interconnecting patterns and pathways. If one studied it for a moment, it could be seen that the design formed two great Keys; one was as mysterious, dangerous, and dark as the stone it was carved from, and the Key chain hanging off the end could be noticed as a shackle. The other Key, although carved from black stone as well, held a certain brightness about it that the other lacked. The Key chain of this one was a simple looking crown.

Upon the magnificent doors themselves was a third Key. This Key, however, was quite plain, a silver shaft and blade with a gold handle, with no significant features, other then the small Key chain it bore, which was a simple silver circle, with two smaller circles connecting on opposite sides near the top. The Key was the only flash of color to the otherwise stark entrance.

Suddenly the doors creaked open with an eerie sound, though Eclipse was not intimidated in the least. "Come in." The baritone voice was clear and direct, with only the slightest hint of amusement. Eclipse ghosted into the room he was beckoned, and waited for the figure in a chair, which happened to be facing away from him, to further acknowledge his presence.

"So Eclipse," The person asked conversationally "To what do I owe the honor of receiving the darkness of my dear friend Ansem?" The chair swiveled around and the guardian of the former Heartless master was greeted with amused, hollow, yellow eyes that one would normally find on a Heartless. "Do you come to speak for the great King of Clubs because he wishes to have a question answered?" Eclipse's reply was simple.

_**"Yes Lord Kagi, mighty King of Hearts."**_

A/N: And that's it for chapter eleven! I know what I'm going to say probably sounds really vain, but I think this thing is great. You have no idea how pleased I am, It's turning out _so_ much better then I anticipated! Next chapter: Hollow Bastion! See ya!

Kagi (Japanese) Key


	12. Chapter the 12th

A/N: And I am back for another go! That's right we're now up to chapter twelve! Cheer if you're as happy as I am! Alright people, the only reason this chapter is even here is because of Phantom Fox who was the only person, other then Boogiepop Reborn (who I see every day) to bother to review. If more people don't start to review, I'll slow my updates!

Review Responses:

**_Phantom Fox_**- Well, here's the next update! I want you to know since you were, like, the _only_ reviewer I had for the last chapter, the only reason I bothered to update was thanks to you! So congrats, here's your chapter! I mentioned in one of my authors notes, if anyone bothers to read them, that things would be getting confusing. If you don't understand, that's a good thing, don't worry. Pumpkin spice ice cream? That sounds really, really good… mmm, must go find cold, sugary sustinence….

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Sora was roused from his sleep early to the sound of Cid waking up to take the controls from Ansem, stumbling in the hall, and swearing so harshly it'd make a sailor wince. The Key bearer blinked trying to get his vision to focus. One it had properly done so, he found he was staring at the plain whit ceiling of the Gummi ship. That was when he registered the limb thrown over his torso, and the warm body next to his.

Once Sora got a good look at the situation, he discovered that, yes, it was Riku next to him, and that the situation didn't actually look all that suggestive. Especially considering that it was his best friend's leg thrown over him and that Riku was laying perpendicular to Sora, his upper half sprawling off the futon and onto the floor. That didn't stop Sora from blushing.

"I guess we must've fallen asleep when we were talking." He murmured to himself. Gently pushing Riku's leg off of him, which spirited a few words from the sleeping teen that sounded suspiciously like 'It's my spud, give it back,' Sora got up and went to the bathroom for a shower. It was really early again, and he wasn't expecting anyone other then Cid and himself to be awake yet. After he had gotten dressed, the key master made his way to the navigation room, which was conjoined with what could be called the 'lounge.'

"Morning Cid." Sora greeted as he flopped into the same chair he'd occupied last night.

"Mornin' Kid. Why're you up so early?" He asked without looking away from the controls.

"Habit." Sora groaned. "How far are we from Hollow Bastion?"

"Only about an hour." Cid sounded impressed. "This is some ship you've got! To be able to go that far, that fast without a warp-G, it's amazing! Anyway, by the time we get there, everyone else will probably be wakin' up."

"That's good. " Sora said with a nod. "I don't think I can take any more excitement of the bad kind for a while." There was a momentary pause.

"Is it really true? That you have Sephiroth at Hollow Bastion? That he's still alive?" Cid asked quietly.

"Yeah." Sora responded. "Is it really that hard to grasp?" Cid snorted.

"I guess not. I'm not sure if you know this, but Aeris died back on our world."

Sora started. "She did?"

"Yeah." Cid nodded. "She's back now, thank goodness. Of all our trials, her death was the hardest. Especially to Cloud."

"To Cloud? Why?" Sora was genuinely curious, having never heard this before.

"I think he loved her at one time. Way back before our world was destroyed. She loved him too, I think. However, she died, in trying to save our planet." Cid sighed.

"If they loved each other, then why aren't they… together?" Sora asked hesitantly.

"Damned if I know. It's not my business to know." Cid responded. "However, I remember a discussion they had. I think it had something to do with Aeris' being an Ancient." At Sora's blank look, Cid elaborated and continued. "She was the last of a long-forgotten race. Anyway, I think it was that the Lifestream, the planet's spirit, gave her a choice. If I remember right, she said she could've stayed dead and kept her true mind, or come back and give up something. Aeris wanted to save everyone above all else, even Sephiroth. I guess in the end that's what won out, because she's here again. Though she seems unable to love, at least in the conventional way between two unrelated people."

Cid sighed. "That's how I remember it anyway. If you want the most accurate story, then ask Cloud or Aeris yourself."

"Thanks but I'll pass." Sora told him. "When we get to Hollow Bastion, can I ask you to do something?"

"What is it kid?"

"Please don't fight with Sephiroth. I don't think I'll be able to put up with it without killing something. I know you all have some bad blood with him, but I have him under my protection for a reason." Sora pleaded.

"Wasn't plannin' on fightin' with em.'" Cid said honestly. "Ansem's changed since he's come back to life. Maybe Sephiroth will have too." The pilot shook his head. "When we went up against him, he was definitely insane. I'd have liked to meet him before all that." Sora nodded in understanding, and the two fell into a comfortable silence that lasted until everyone woke up.

And wake up they did when Cid started shouting. "I see it! There it is!" Rang through the halls of the ship. Moans, groans, and lots of swearing later five people emerged from various rooms to go see what the older pilot was yelling about. The only one missing was Ansem, but if he was tired then he could sleep through anything.

"What's going on!" Leon demanded, with an expression thirsty for blood and an image similar to when he had found Sora awake back in Traverse.

"S'to early Cid." Cloud mumbled, falling asleep on his feet. Sora snickered at the blond, considering he was dressed in pajamas covered in little chocobos and moogles, and he was gripping a… Was that a stuffed tonberry?

"Gawd your loud Cid!" Yuffie yelled. Then she got a good look at Cloud too. "Jeez spiky, could you be any more manly?" Cloud's intelligent response was a snore.

"Wassit? " Riku wondered eyes half lidded and his hair so untamed and wild it would've given Sora and Cloud's a run for its money.

"What are you so excited about?" Aeris asked, being the only one speaking like a normal person.

"Hollow Bastion's in sight!" The pilot said with a grin. "Get your normal clothes on, and get ready to disembark!" Mumbles of acceptance were uttered and everyone ambled back to their room (Cloud had to be dragged) to get ready to be properly conscious. Cid turned to Sora. "That was entertaining. Cloud never ceases to make me laugh." Sora snickered again and nodded.

"Well there it is." Cid murmured in wonder as the great, metal fortress known as Hollow Bastion, loomed ever larger as the Gummi ship drew closer. "Where should I set her down?" Cid asked once they were close enough.

"Over the Rising Falls, preferably close to the entrance into the actual Bastion." Sora responded, coming to stand by Cid at the controls. Cid immediately began to bring the ship down into what had to be the softest landing Sora had ever felt. Donald's couldn't compare to this, and his most certainly didn't.

"Alright we're down. You want me to open the hatch?" Cid asked.

"Yeah, but just to let me off. If the door isn't over one of the small floating rock platforms, then we may need to readjust the ship. I known you, Riku, Cloud, Leon, and probably Yuffie will be able to get off just fine no matter where we land. Aeris, I'm not so sure. She doesn't seem the type to jump about."

Cid nodded. "You're likely right." He then punched the button for the hatch to open. "Go on then." Sora nodded and headed for the open hatch, jumping out once he got there. Fortunately Cid had done a good job, and they were right on top of a platform.

"We're good to go Cid!" Sora yelled through the hatch before crawling back into the ship himself.

"Where're you goin'?" Cid asked as Sora headed back through the hall of the Gummi ship.

"I have to get Ansem up, or he'll never awake to daylight again. He's probably sleeping like a rock right now considering he's been up all night." Sora told the pilot dryly. Cid chuckled at his answer. Once Sora made it to Ansem's room, he pounded loudly on the door. "Come on darkness obsessed, rise and shadow!" As odd as it may seem, Sora didn't think 'shine' personally suited Ansem. There was the sound of something moving, and then the door opened to reveal the most disgruntled former Heartless master the Key bearer had ever seen.

"What!" Ansem demanded angrily.

"We're back at the Bastion. Everyone's getting ready to get off." Sora told him unfazed by his outburst. Ansem nodded and was about to turn when Sora asked him a question. "Trouble sleeping?"

Ansem nodded. "Yes. I'm not used to sleeping when Eclipse isn't at least close by." Sora nodded in sympathy.

"At least you said he'd meet us here." The Key master pointed out. The platinum haired man nodded with a slight smile.

"You're right. Go on then. We've lots to do." Without waiting for anything else, Sora turned and went back out the hatch to wait for everyone else, which didn't take that long. Once everyone was present, Sora began speaking.

"Alright we're here. Before we enter, I'd like to make sure some things are clear: This is Ansem's fortress, not mine. You abide by what he says, so don't ask me. Don't touch anything if you don't know what it is, if you get lost, for God sakes try backtracking and don't keep going forward, and please show respect to those we have taken here. I know I told you about both Vincent and Sephiroth, but there is another resident here.

"His world was destroyed a long time ago, and he has sought sanctuary here. I'm not sure what he is, but I'll tell you this: despite appearances he's _not_ a Heartless. I expect you to show the residents here the same respect you show me. Are we clear?" A little bit taken aback by Sora's stern attitude, they nodded in agreement and understanding. The Key master smiled.

"Good." He set a hand on the teleporter to activate it. He then opened the gate and the group behind him gasped as they got their first look at the great fortress in years.

"Then let me welcome you to Hollow Bastion."

**_"I thank you Lord Kagi." _**Eclipse told the man sitting before him, whose Heartless' eyes glittered with amusement.

"Will that answer your lover's question? It was more then you asked." He told the guardian.

**_"Yes, I'm positive my master will be very pleased with this, and I'm sure it will help prepare both Sora and Riku." _**Eclipse replied.

"Good. Even with your master working towards this end, it might very well not be enough if those two boys refuse this." Kagi responded, his ominous eyes losing their spark of amusement.

**_"That is one risk we cannot avoid taking at this point. It's far too late to turn back." _**Eclipse shook his bulky head. **_"It became to late to turn back the moment you made the decision that initiated this whole situation. This whole war."_** The amusement returned to the King of Hearts' eyes.

"Point taken Eclipse, though you realize that you wouldn't even exist without 'this whole situation and war.'" The guardian's eyes narrowed and he turned to go, when Kagi called to him again. "I don't suppose you would deliver a message to the other lords and ladies for me?"

**_"I do not take orders from anyone other then my master, and I only take requests from those who have earned them." _** Eclipse told him coldly.Kagi didn't seem to be offended.

"Of course. Forgive me. A shadow can only hear it's caster after all." Once the Lord had finished speaking, Eclipse turned and left the great, dark, fortress of obscuration that was named Shadow Bastion. The guardian couldn't leave fast enough, for although Kagi would never harm Eclipse, there was nothing comforting about that place, and the guardian couldn't get back to his mater fast enough.

A/N: And that's it for chapter twelve! I still can't believe I've gotten this far! This story is _so_ much fun! Oh, hey **_please read_**. I was thinking about doing a bit of a prequel to this story once I'm done writing it. (So in a couple of years hahaha) It will be about Ansem and Eclipse and what happened to them that they are the way they are. So it will include when Ansem was first lord of Hollow Bastion, and how exactly his and his guardian's relationship formed. My head is already so full of ideas for this story! I was also thinking about doing a sequel to this, but I can't even begin to talk about it as it would give the plot for this tale away!


	13. Chapter the 13th

A/N: OMFG! It's chapter 13! Can you even believe it! Chapter 13! And if you couldn't tell I'm excited.

Review Responses:

**_Coley_**- Hi there! Wasn't sure if you remembered me! I promised weekly updates way back when I first started writing this thing, and only now am I delivering! Kinda sad… So you'd read the prequel and/or sequel? Heck yes! Or if you're dyslexic then it's Yeck hes! Oh, Sod I'm Gad… Ahem… Heh, I'm not sure it's possible to read about Ansem even if you did get into it. People write about didly for him, which is bad 'cause writing about head cases like him are fun! I'm hoping to write more for Ansem/Guardian, 'cause it's the only Ansem pairing that makes any sense to me. He never interacted with Sephiroth, and he practically raped Riku's mind, and he was just using Kairi like the other princesses, and those three are the only ones who are ever paired with him... Sorry, I'm babbling now…

**_Phantom Fox_**- Hello again! So you'd be into a prequel? Excellent! I won't even think of posting it until this story is finished, for fear of spoiling something… Yes you were the only one who reviewed. Made me sad and happy. Sad you were the only one, but happy you bother to do so!

**_Lil kitty_**- I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far! Nice to hear from a first time reviewer! No, you don't wish you could come up with something like this, it's taking up all of my time and I can't stop coming up with ideas for it and it never seems to get any farther! Seriously I'm trying to keep up! Here's the next chapter! I'll try not to slow down!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

The great fortress of Hollow Bastion was silent on the outside. Not a thing moved, or made any noise. The silence was dead and heavy, so much so that you'd be hard-pressed to cut it with a Keyblade. However, that same silence was easily broken as the teleporter hummed to life and glowed a bright blue color. In the next moment eight different people appeared just inside the gateway in front of the stronghold.

"It's been so long since we've last been here." Cloud commented. Leon nodded in agreement looking around as well. The group, minus Sora, Riku, and Ansem had stayed here after Ansem was 'defeated.' However, a little while after that happened the castle had threatened to crumble, growing weaker every day. But then about a month or so after the castle had unexpectedly threatened to crumble and was constantly weakening, it had suddenly stabilized itself, and stood just fine.

However, rather then risk it, Leon, Cloud, Aeris, Cid, and Yuffie had all moved back to Traverse Town. They had renovated the old empty little house in third district, and made it much bigger. It was only a little while after that, when Riku came to them. Sora waited for them to finish their initial look around before he led the deeper. Hopefully they were also memorizing and relearning the different pathways that could be seen from here, but Sora wasn't holding his breath. He knew he'd probably end up going to find one of them after they'd gotten lost. But that was no fault of theirs really. This place was big. Sora looked all the way up to the top, or tried to. Yep, very, very big.

The breeze gusted, and blew something just out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to see it, he hoped he was seeing it wrong. Sora walked over to the pile of black objects that were being disturbed by the wind, and picked one up. He groaned. There was no mistaking what it was. A look towards the castle's main entrance showed that they were everywhere else as well. _Great_. Sora thought with heavy Sarcasm. _Welcome home Sora._ He facetiously told himself.

"Hey Ansem!" he called getting the still-irritated man's attention. "I think we have a problem here." That certainly got everyone else's attention as well, and they came to look as well. Sora grabbed a fistful of the objects and held them for the former Heartless master to see. Ansem as well, recognized them for what they were.

"Oh great." He muttered dryly.

"I don't understand." Yuffie questioned. "It's just a bunch of black feathers."

"It seems Sephiroth has been busy." Sora sighed. "He's probably really crabby as well."

"Why? What does that have to do with these?" Cloud asked picking one up for a better look.

"You know Sephiroth is the One Winged Angel, right?" At their nods he continued. "The bastard's _molting!_" he exclaimed. There was a moment of silence before Cloud, Cid, and Yuffie burst out into laughter.

After the two blondes and the brunette had calmed their bought of humor, Sora had led them into the castle's inner reaches. They stood now at a large circular room, which seemed to be the crossroads of the bastion. "Alright. The library is in _there_. The bedchambers are through _there_. I'll show you to yours in a moment. The way to the upper halls is through _there_, and the way out is behind us. If you need more precise directions ask either Ansem, myself, or one of the other guests." He beckoned, feeling like a hotel clerk. "I'll show you to your rooms then." He nodded in acknowledgement towards Ansem, who was slipping off on his own.

He walked down the hallway he had indicated, which was full of doors. There were about five on each side and one, presumptuously large room behind a set of double-doors at the end of the hall. "The master suite there at the end of the hallway is Ansem's. The room directly to the right of that is mine. Vincent's is somewhere in the middle. Sephiroth's is here at the end, and the other resident's is right across from mine. The rooms that are occupied should have a slip of red paper on the door. If they don't then have at it." Sora told them.

Cloud, testing, opened one of the blank doors. Inside was a medium size and tastefully decorated doom. The bed was large enough for two, and had purple velvet canopy which matched the violet bedding. The walls were a pale gray, and the dresser and other cabinets were a friendly chestnut. "Not bad." The blond commented. Sora nodded.

"Go ahead and pick whichever, so long as it's empty." Sora told them and waited patiently for everyone else to get settled. Riku took the room right next to his, the Key master was glad to see. The other's taking other various rooms. He had to chuckle a bit when he noticed Leon's room was on the right side near the entrance of the hallway, and Cloud's was on the left closer to his and Ansem's rooms.

Once everyone was reasonably settled, Sora had intended to take everyone down to the kitchens to find some breakfast, though by this time it could be called brunch. Yuffie however asked a question. "Where are the other people here? I haven't seen hide or… well attached feather of either Sephiroth, Vincent, or whoever the other guy is." Sora thought for a moment.

"Well, Sephiroth is probably being grouchy and foul tempered in one of the sub-levels somewhere. God knows he spends enough time down there that he probably knows them better then Ansem. Vincent is most likely in the grand hall upstairs, being quiet and sulky. Our third resident could be anywhere. However he's probably in either the kitchen, which is where we're headed, or the Library."

"What's this third guy's name?" Cloud asked curiously.

"You'll have to find out when and if he introduces himself. He's very friendly, but also rather shy." Sora told them. Without waiting for a response, he continued to take them to the kitchens. Once there he spoke again. "Feel free to help yourselves. If you need to use the oven or the stove please don't blow anything up." As no one had yet to eat anything today, everyone went about happily with Sora's offer. As did the Key master himself. It wasn't until they were halfway finished eating Yuffie made an observation.

"Hey, where did Ansem run off to?" Sora shrugged.

"It's his castle so he could very well be anywhere. However, Eclipse was supposed to meet up with us here after he finished whatever errand he was sent on. I'll bet Ansem's in his private wing waiting for him." The Key master took another bite of his toast, chewed and swallowed. "While we're on that subject, Ansem's private wing is just off the grand hall. It's as off limits as his chambers and is absolutely forbidden. _I've_ never even been there." There were nods of understanding all round. Conversation after that, though it was not strained, was strictly casual. As the last of the group to finish eating, Cid, set his dirty dishes in the sink Sora stood and beckoned.

"Come on. Let's see if we can't find the elusive house guest that has you all so curious." They then made their way from the kitchen to the Library, Sora throwing the door open. "Hello?" He called.

"Yes?" A soft-spoken voice replied that was unfamiliar to all but Sora.

"My friends are going to be staying here for a while. I'd like you to meet them if you feel comfortable with it." Sora replied. There was no response for a moment.

"O-okay. I'm up on the second level." The quiet voice replied. Sora walked forward and then up a curving set of stairs. Once at the top of the stairs, the group came face to face with a small figure sitting at a large Library table with a massive volume spread out in front of them. The figure had their back to the group. Though no one had yet seen its face, it was obvious that this person was quite peculiar. The person dressed in a worn blue jacket, baggy green and white striped pants, large dark brown shoes, thick gloves, and, most notable, a large well-used broad rimmed hat that arched up and fell back down. The figure marked a spot in the book, presumably where they'd stopped reading, and slowly turned to face the group.

Sharp intakes of air could be heard, and they came face to face with what appeared to be a Heartless. However the eyes, though the same bright yellow, held an enormous amount of emotion.

**_A/N: _**Since this chapter and the next one could be easily combined, I decided I might as well. Don't get used to Chapters being this long though!

"H-hello." The soft, tentative voice greeted them with the softest hint of question. "My name is Vivi. It's a pleasure to meet you all." There was a moment of dead silence in which nobody said anything. Then Sora cleared his throat noisily, and, taking the hint, the group introduced themselves to the dubious looking, if in actuality, harmless creature.

"I'm Cloud Strife." The blond replied in an amicable tone.

"I'm Yuffie Kisaragi!" the short brunette bounced, as she was unable to contain herself in a sedate fashion any longer.

"I'm Aeris Gainsborough." The flower girl curtsied politely.

"The name's Cid Highwind." The pilot replied in an affable, if gruff, voice.

"Leon." The dark man said curtly and coldly.

"I'm Riku." The silver-haired young man introduced himself. The yellow eyes under the enormous hat widened slightly.

"Really? Sora speaks of you often!" He spared Riku a glance saying: "Especially you." Sora coughed as he turned a most becoming shade of red and turned away. Riku smirked jokingly.

"Really? I hope only good things." The turquoise-eyed boy grinned.

"Of course. He speaks very highly of all of you." Vivi spoke enthusiastically. "I must say the stories of your adventures still fascinate me, and I would love to join you someday."

"I'm sure you'd be welcome." Cloud responded sparing a look at Sora. However, Vivi shook his head.

"No. Finding out what happens to worlds when the darkness invades could be the key to finding my friends from my world. That takes priority over all else."

"An admirable goal." Leon admitted quietly. Cloud spared the gunman a glance of approval, one that Leon did his best to ignore.

"I am glad to have met all of you, and I wish you good fortune and safety in all of you ventures. If you ever wish to speak with me, I'm usually in here. I could always use some company."

After bidding goodbye to the strange creature known as Vivi, Sora led them all out of the Library quietly. After the heavy doors closed behind them, he asked: "Well, what did you think of him?"

"He's kind." Cloud offered. "But he undeniably looks like a-."

"Like a Heartless. I know. He says he's looking for his friends, but I believe he's trying to find something about himself in those books just as diligently." Sora said with a sigh. "He really is a gentle soul, but there's no denying what he very well could possibly have developed from."

"By the sound a' that kid's story, he had lived in his world long before the Heartless came." Cid interjected thoughtfully.

"True. However, did you know that little Vivi has _unbelievably_ destructive and dangerous fire powers?" Sora asked calmly.

"What? That little thing?" Cloud yelped unbelievingly. Sora nodded.

"Yes. 'That little thing' as you called him has more fire spells at his disposal then a battalion Red Nocturnes." The Key bearer admitted, comparing him to a rather memorable, and annoying, species of Heartless. "How we found out was when he accidentally almost burned the Grand Hall to the ground."

"From you tone I'd say you have some hypothesis on this whole affair on his origin." Leon stated bluntly. Sora sighed.

"Yeah, of course I do. Thinking about crap like this is my life now, considering Ansem was infuriatingly vague on everything around this issue. Bastard definitely knows something…." Sora grumbled the last part before he continued. "My theory is this: Whoever is behind this latest outbreak of Heartless might've done some experimenting on Vivi's home world." Gasps of shock followed by murmurs of agreement punctuated the silence following his words.

"And you think he was the product of one of their experiments?" Riku asked, speaking for the first time since exiting the Library. Sora nodded sadly.

"Maybe an experiment on someone still with a heart." The Key master spoke quietly. "Judging by the demeanor and personality, it was probably no more then a young child. Which would explain why he doesn't remember everything."

"That's sick." Cid growled. "Not even Ansem experimented on children. Or anything other then those already without Hearts as far as we know."

"I'm sure he didn't use children, but I'm also sure he probably did use at least a few subjects who still retained their hearts." Sora sighed. "He _is_ a very thorough man." Yuffie spoke up then.

"Well yeah but-." She was abruptly cut off as the great double doors that led out to the main entrance and all branching pathways, burst open with ferocious and angry force. Everyone stared in shock at the figure standing in the doorway.

"Well did you have a nice sulk feather head?" Sora asked sarcastically to Sephiroth. And oh what an unusual Sephiroth it was. His normally perfect hair looked terribly mussed, His cloths were rumpled and haphazardly buckled into place without their usual efficiency, his normally vibrant green eyes were hazy and full anger. But most noticeably, his usually sharp and strong angel's wing, instead of being perfectly preened and placed, was a mess. Feathers were discolored, scraggly, broken and even missing altogether. All in all he was not a happy One-Winged Angel.

"Silence yourself Key Bearer!" Sephiroth snarled fearsomely, but otherwise made no move to retaliate. He stalked over to the bedroom hall and stalked into his room, slamming the door behind him. No one in Sora's company dared say anything in the face of what they'd just witnessed.

"Dear old Sephiroth's at his most fearsome but also his most harmless when he molts." Sora stated casually. "His condition is, as Ansem charmingly put it: PMS for birds." There was dead silence following his words before… Soft chuckles bubbled out of nowhere, and developed into full out laughter. Riku, once silent and depressed was now leaning against the wall, as his sides split from unstoppable laughter.

"I… have no idea… who that was… but… he looked… _miserable!_" He managed to get out between giggles. Sora, though still generally irritated at Sephiroth, couldn't help but feel happiness well up within him. It had been so _long_ since he'd heard Riku laugh like this. Years, it must've been.

"Well they say that misery loves company so lets all be sure to be as cheerful as we can." Sora responded, smiling as Riku's infectious laughter continued. The rest of the group (minus Leon as he was just ignoring everyone at this point) were still shocked stiff. "Glad someone thinks I'm funny…" Sora muttered.

Ansem sat immobile in a large leather chair in his study; located deep within his private chambers. His vivid orange eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping though his rigid posture suggested otherwise. He had been here for hours it seemed, whether true or not, waiting and waiting. Well, he was an impatient man and he'd had quite enough of that. However he did not move to seek out something to entertain himself. Instead he continued to sit there, and study the backs of his eyelids.

**"Master? Are you alright?" ** At the familiar and most welcomed 'voice.' The former Heartless master's eyes shot open and he was on his feet in a fraction of a second. He observed his Guardian, who'd just appeared, for a moment before he threw his arms around the dark creature and held on as tightly as he could. Eclipse's large arms carefully enfolded his master in a caring embrace.

One may think that this vulnerable display was quite out of character for the Lord of Hollow Bastion. In actuality, this was a rather normal behavior for him, when he was greeting his guardian after an absence. No matter how short the time away from one another, Ansem always felt the need to simply hold his guard, as if to make sure he didn't disappear under his touch like the shadow he resembled. After all, when Sora had initially defeated him, Eclipse had vanished without a trace for a period of weeks. Ansem had never been so terrified and alone.

He released his guardian after a moment and composed himself. "I take it Kagi answered my question?" He asked. Eclipse nodded.

**_"Yes master, and he also gave me some other information. He said it would help."_** The guard answered remaining within arm's length of his protected.

"Oh? And what do you think of it?" Ansem questioned. "Being what you are you must have an opinion." Eclipse smirked quite visibly through his bindings.

**_"Quite the contrary. I have no idea what you plan to do. Whether this extra information will help or not I cannot even begin to guess."_ ** The guardian cocked his head to the side slightly in question. **_"Just what is it you are planning to do about Sora and Riku?"_**

"Truthfully?" Ansem asked rolling his eyes. "I really have no idea. I've been making this up as I go along. I know where I want to get them. It's getting there that I have no idea how to manage."

**_"Is there anything I can do to help?"_** Eclipse asked, eager to ease some of his master's worry. Ansem's brow furrowed and he absently chewed on one of the fingers of his right glove as he thought.

"Well, first I suppose we'll have to let them work out the problems between them. I don't intend to let them meet Kagi or any of the other Lords and Ladies until they've fixed themselves." He sighed. "However, I have this horrible feeling that no matter what we plan right now, it will all go awry anyway. I don't yet know who is behind this new front in the war yet, but I feel as if we are getting closer." Ansem shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I can't say for certain if we're getting closer to _them_, or if they're getting closer to _us._"

A/N: Chapter 13 is over and out! So, Ansem's got some bad vibes, and Sephiroth is an utter mess. I promise our dear One winged Angel and Black Mage will have a purpose, but that isn't for much, much later. Sorry. Any questions, comments and suggestions are most welcome as always!


	14. Chapter the 14th

A/N: And chapter 14 is out of the starting gates! I'm seriously still surprised you readers are still with me. Haven't gotten fed up with my irregular plot line yet…. Also, some actual shounen ai in this chapter between Sora and Riku! Ashamed to say nothing really happens yet, but it's better then it has been!

Review Responses: (I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed this time. The response to the last chapter was the most I've had yet after my unplanned for hiatus.)

**_Boogiepop Reborn_**- I can't say I agree with the Stuart PWN'S bit, but Vivi and Sephy do! Don't worry, there's more Kagi on the way!

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- I'm so happy to hear you like my fic! Heh, Ansem is such a screwball, considering he didn't have much of a character in the KH game he's easy to have fun with. Yay for artistic liberties! You fell out of your chair? Ouch… I hope you didn't bruise anything…

**_K_**- Glad to see you found Sephiroth's dilemma amusing if your laughter was any indication. Uh, you asked my to review? Review what? Vague directions make Cliched Oxymoron's head go pop. I'm not oxy**_moron_** for nothing you know!

**_Coley_**- Hi Coley! So you're a fan of FF9? Excellent! Yes Zidane and a few others from FF9 will be joining the story later on. So far Zidane, Kuja, and Maybe Freya for sure. If you have any characters to request I'd be more then happy to consider them! I'm glad you found Sephy's problem so funny, though I'm not sure it's genius… Here's the update! Enjoy!

**_Phantom Fox_**- Yep, Poor Sephiroth's molting and miserable. Poor Sephy, the guy has a never-ending well of problems. Ansem as matchmaker…"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch…." Uh, yeah sorry…

**_Chany_**- Hello! Glad you're enjoying it so far! Yes, I'm trying to ad more FF characters. If you have any characters you like to see feel free to make a request!

**_Yamibakeru_**- Ack! Typos! Oh noes! I FAIL IT! Ahem… Thanks for letting me know! I'm too lazy to fix them, but since I generally try to reread each chapter so many times as to not miss errors I'm obviously getting lazier! Thank you so much! Feel free to point out any more you see! I can't be mad if you slept through the last two chapters cause you played an awesome game. Heck I'd be guilty of that several times over! I'm sorry to hear you don't think much of FF9, but there will be more FF9 characters in the future. If you'd like to see others from different FF games then please let me know! I don't have a very good grasp of FF8 as I haven't played it yet, and don't read any fanfiction for it. I'm glad you say my readers will support me! It's things like that you reviewers say that is the only reason I have any confidence at all!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Riku groaned and turned over again restlessly. He just could _not_ fall asleep! You'd think he would've been exhausted, what with staying up until the wee hours of the morning last night talking with Sora, walking around the enormous castle of Hollow Bastion all day, and several new meetings. But apparently not, as he was wide awake, staring at the lavish purple canopy over the huge bed in his guestroom.

He groaned and flipped back onto his other side. Who was he kidding? He knew why he was wide-awake. There was simply too much going on to not think about it, regardless if his body lost sleep. First of all, Sora was back. Ansem was back. The Heartless were back. And where on earth did he stand?

Though he was limitlessly happy that his old friend was again by his side, he really didn't know where to go from there. He knew he'd never again leave Sora voluntarily. He was determined to fight by his side, regardless of what horrible creature came after them. He was prepared to die for his friend, suffer torture, and endure trial after trail that may present itself when up against the greatest menace the universe would ever face. What would possess someone to do something like that for someone else?

Oh right. That whole 'being blindly in love' thing. Riku sighed. He knew there was little to no future for him and the Keyblade master, and that was assuming Sora _did_ return his feelings, of which there was even less chance. The odd being named Vivi had said he spoke of him often, but what that meant, if anything, Riku wasn't sure. Not to mention…

Ansem. That name basically summed up most of his problems at the present time. He was still frightened by what that man did to him, could do to others, and had done in the past. And that very same man was one of Sora's closest confidants. That was one thing that really bothered him. He knew Sora's judgment was sound, but the fact remained that Ansem was probably up to something terrible.

Ansem was supposed to help Sora fight the Heartless, which _he_ experimented with, and yet he was as uninformative as you please! Riku knew that he could just be sheltering Sora from some horrific piece of information, but every time he thought of that as a possible explanation it seemed less likely. He wanted Sora to be safe, and even though it seemed impossible, Ansem, with his knowledge and experience was probably the one most equipped to do such a thing. But that still didn't put his thoughts around the platinum haired man at ease. There were too many unknown variables to be able to count on anything.

Like Eclipse. Sora had made mention of the strange creature before, and said that he spoke with it. However, the ominous entity had yet to say a word to Riku, or anyone else other then Sora and Ansem. Sora had said the Eclipse was Ansem's guardian, but what exactly that meant Riku wasn't sure. However, there was something _very_ familiar about that dark specter.

And then there were the Heartless. Before, when he had been corrupted, things were pretty straightforward: you were with the Light and you helped the Keyblade master, or you were with the Darkness and you were slowly consumed by the Heartless. Now, though, Riku had the feeling there was a lot of gray area for Sora. Things he didn't know, things he speculated, things he assumed, and things he simply had to guess at. Whoever had taken up Ansem's banner, Sora was not yet on equal footing with them, and that was one of the most worrisome things of all. He would do anything for Sora, anything in the world.

"Argggh!" Riku groaned as his thoughts ran in another circle. Too much to think about, too many things happening. _I wish it were like the old days. When we'd hang out, compete, and of course I was always teasing him._ Riku smiled to himself at the flood of fond memories. _Now that I think about it, when Sora was younger he really did look adorable with a blush on his face._

Riku was suddenly overcome with a desire to go see his friend. He knew he was in the room right by his, so all he'd have to do was go next door. As he rolled this thought over and over in his mind, he was finding fewer and fewer reasons for him _not_ to go. _Hey, if Sora gets all weirded out I can just blame it on the lack of sleep._ His mind made up, Riku hauled his tired body out of bed and to the door.

Sora lay awake staring at the canopy over his bed with a glazed expression. He had been like that for hours, deep in thought yet thinking of nothing at all. Most people would call that spacing out. Sora preferred the term 'meditating.'

From the feelings he was getting from Ansem, the man was awake as well. Considering how badly he slept the previous night, it was rather curious.

**_"Well that, Keyblade Master, is because he's just had a rather needed burst of inspiration."_**

_**"Eclipse? Are you back from whatever Ansem sent you after?"**_Sora asked the guardian curiously.

**_"Yes. I actually got back quite some time ago; however, I was preoccupied with helping my master try to work around a problem he's currently facing."_**

**_"Oh? What's that?"_ **Sora asked curiously. Ansem having a problem was not something he was used to from the normal confidant man.

**_"I'm sure you'll find out in time."_** Eclipse answered cryptically, and Sora had the distinct impression that the guardian was grinning.

**_"Fine then, keep your secrets. However, problem or no problem I'm surprised that you, as his protector, have let him worry himself for hours on end."_**

**_"As soon as he gets this out of his system I'm going to drag him to bed. And make him sleep!"_ **Eclipse interjected at the end to cut off any lewd comments Sora was about to make.

**_"Right. Like I'm going to believe that."_ **Sora told him laughingly.

**_"Hmph."_** Was the guardian's only reply. There was a comfortable moment of silence before Sora asked hesitantly:

**_"Hey Eclipse?"_**

**_"Yes?"_**

_**"Could I see the conversation you and Riku had?** **You said you spoke to him when Ansem possessed his body. I'd like to hear what you and he spoke of."**_There was a pause as Eclipse processed this request, turning it over in his mind.

**_"This is a rather extreme breach of privacy into Riku's affairs. Hearing his innermost thoughts during such a trying time. However, I know you've been worried about him, and there's nothing terribly embarrassing in that conversation. All right. Hold on a moment."_ **Sora emitted his thanks as he felt his consciousness drawn into Eclipse's memories…

Emotions from Riku flooded the Key master as Eclipse's memory played out. **_Hurt… Pain… Apprehension… Terror…Hope…Worry…_**

**_"You needn't fear." _**A voice Sora recognized as Eclipse's spoke. **_"All will be resolved in the end."_**

**_"Whose there!" _** A voice that was undoubtedly Riku's demanded. **_"What do you want! Who are you!"_**

_**"Be still child. I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to make sure you don't fade."**_

_**"Fade? What's going on?"**_

_**"Don't you remember? A man named Ansem possessed your body. I'm making sure you're spirit doesn't fade away."**_

_**"Who are you?"**_

_**"That is not important. Keep talking. Things will stay clear."**_

**_"Talking to what? To you?"_** The tone was impetuous.

_**"If you wish. Talk to anything. Me, yourself, Ansem, Sora, -"**_

_**"Sora! What's going on with him? Is he alright?"**_

**_"I can show you for a moment."_** Sora saw flashes of himself and realized this was what Eclipse had showed his friend. Flashes of fighting Ansem, fighting Darkside, and fighting Ansem again. He saw Donald and Goofy taken hostage and then he saw himself start to fall.

**_"No! Sora! Don't you dare die!" _** Riku cried out, but his yells went unheard except to Eclipse. He desperately tried another tactic, and his tone changed to playful teasing, though his fear was obvious. **_"You're giving up already? Come on Sora. I thought you were stronger then that."_** Sora smiled as he heard the words that had sparked him into action and had ultimately saved his life. _So I didn't imagine them. That's nice to know._

**_"Okay Eclipse. I'm done. That's all I need to see." _**Sora suddenly found himself staring at the canopy of his bed again.

**_"I should probably go. Ansem's starting to wind himself down now. I should do something before he gets another idea."_ **Sora chuckled at Eclipse's comment.

_**"I suppose I'll see you in the morning then. Good night."**_

**_"Goodnight Keyblade Master."_ **With that Eclipse's presence was gone from his mind, and if he had never been there, other then the faint whisper of awareness he had from being joined with him and his rather dubious master. Not a moment too soon either, as he heard a hesitant knock on his door.

He got up wearily to answer it, his bones creaking from being in one position for so long. He slowly opened the door to reveal Riku, dressed his raft-covered pajamas, slightly mussed hair, and his hand raised to knock again.

"Riku." Sora sighed. "It's the middle of the night. What do you want."

_You._ Was the first answer that came to Riku's mind, but that response wouldn't have gone over well he knew. So instead he replied with the next truthful answer.

"I couldn't sleep. I don't know if it's the new bed, or being back at Hollow Bastion but I was wondering if I could maybe sleep with you." _Whoops. That came out wrong._ Were his thoughts as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

_He can't mean that the way it sounded like._ Sora thought to himself. No this was, unfortunately, a rather innocent request. So Sora smiled innocently back. "Sure Riku. I understand you must be pretty uncomfortable." He stepped aside to allow entrance to his room. "Come in."

Riku quickly entered at sat down on the edge of the bed, yawning widely.

"So, did you want to talk about something?" Sora asked him quizzically.

"No, I want to go to sleep! But I can't seem to do that." Riku bemoaned his fate. Sora smiled and sat next to him.

"Well your welcome to sleep here if you need company. Just don't steal the covers or kick me off the bed in the middle of the night." Riku, hardly daring to believe his good fortune, nodded eagerly.

Sora smiled again and crawled into the left side, and left Riku to crawl into the right side. There was silence between them for a few minutes, and Sora was just beginning to doze when all of a sudden, there was a rather heavy weight at his side and over his chest.

The poor Keyblade master nearly had a heart attack when he realized that it was _Riku_ who'd securely wrapped himself around Sora and had his silver-haired head atop his friend's chest. Sora knew his whole face was bright red.

"I was cold." Was the only reply Riku gave to his stunned friend, secretly pleased he had managed to see the much-desired blush on the brunet's face.

"You could've gotten an extra blanket." Sora replied, proud he kept his voice calm.

"Too lazy." Riku admitted with a yawn. "'Night Sora."

"'Night Riku." Sora, despite his embarrassing and compromising position, managed a good-natured grin. "Pleasant dreams, my troubled friend." Riku grinned at Sora's answer, quite pleased with himself, into the loose cloth of the Key bearer's sleeping shirt. Oh he would have pleasant dreams considering his position. He just hoped he didn't start moaning Sora's name in his sleep!

Kagi sat, far within his stronghold, deep in thought. For once, there was no mildly amused look on his face. Instead his countenance was one of utter seriousness. His normally empty Heartless-like eyes held a surprising amount of human emotion. However, the Lord of Shadow Bastion's thoughts were interrupted by a not-entirely-unexpected presence just outside his Key-bearing doors.

With a careless flick of his hand the doors flew open revealing a rather beautiful just-under-middle aged woman in her early thirties perhaps. Her features were distorted in the dim light. Kagi immediately developed his usual look of bored amusement.

"Why, my dear Ame. What is it that brings the Queen of Clubs to my humble domain?"

"Knock it off Kagi. I'm not in the mood for your damn attitude." She growled at him. The Heartless eyed man allowed himself a rather self-satisfied grin.

"And the answer to my question?"

"We know Eclipse paid you a visit on the behalf of his master. What exactly did the King of Clubs wish to know?" The woman named Ame demanded.

"Hmm." Kagi didn't respond at first. "Tell me, do you know the King of Clubs? Have you met him?"

"Ansem? Yes of course. I've met all the Lords and Ladies." Ame responded with an air that suggested she didn't want an interrogation, but knew it was the only way to get the King of Hearts to talk.

"What do you think of him? Anything at all." Kagi continued to question.

"He's a little frustrating. Not nearly as much as you are though." Kagi was grinning at this point in Ame's response.

"So you approve of him." Kagi asked, not missing a beat.

"On the whole, yes I do." She replied.

"Do you know what he's been up to lately?"

"Yes, I know the general gist of it."

"Hmm." Kagi didn't say anything for another long moment. "He wanted to know where Sora and Riku will stand, once they come into awareness of who they are."

"I see… Wait! What? Sora I know of, but _Riku?_" She paused. "Does this, bode ill or well?"

"We don't know yet." Kagi answered quietly. "When it comes to these two boys, I have a feeling we don't know _anything_." Ame didn't say anything to the King of Hearts for a long moment.

"You know Kagi…" She spoke just as quietly now. "Kieru… Kieru inquired to me about this whole affair as well." Kagi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Her questions, along with my own curiosity were what brought me to you today."

"_Kieru _wanted to know? She actually asked? If the ice-cold, stony-souled Queen of Spades herself was curious, then things must be getting serious. This is grave news indeed. We no longer can sit back and watch. We need to find out a few things for ourselves." Kagi's voice was stern, his eyes hardened. "We need to know who's behind this."

"How do you propose we do that?"

"Simple. We draw them out. I want you and the Jack of Spades to go and weaken the Heart of Halloween Town." Kagi ordered.

"Why that world?"

"Because it is one of the few worlds closest to Hollow Bastion that hasn't had an attempted invasion. You both should stay on that world, once you alter the state of it's core, and just hope that your presence as well as those two boys will be enough so that this time the culprit finally shows themselves." Kagi growled to himself.

"If it does work and the trouble maker appears, what then? Sora at least and maybe even Riku will-."

"We'll leave Ansem to deal with the fallout."

"That hardly seems fair to him. He's done so much already." Ame pointed out.

"And by the time this is over he'll have done so much more." Kagi grinned in his normally amused way. "You can get to work now Ame. There's much to be done." The woman sighed at the man's rather aggravating form of dismissal, turned on her heel and strode out of the room and into the hall.

"And so the true game begins." Kagi grinned into the shadows of his domain.

A/N: Chapter 14 is dead! Well it's over anyway. Woo hoo! I didn't realize, having not written much for him before, but Kagi is _really_ fun to write! I love that screwball! Don't worry, all will be explained… BUT NOT FOR A LONG TIME! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ame (Japanese) Rain

Kieru (Japanese) Fade


	15. Chapter the 15th

A/N: And chapter 15 starts! Get ready cause things are actually going to start happening! No more wasting time! All right! AN IMPORTANT NOTE! The name Cloud uses for Griever in this chapter was what a friend of mine actually named it in FF8! The credit for it goes to her! Ack! I went to Anime USA this weekend! It was soooooo much fun! Hey if any of you were there, let me know! I got Vincent Valentine and Sephiroth action figures!

Review Responses:

**_Coley_**- yep! Zidane, Kuja and Freya! Zidane will come into play, though it won't be till later… Sorry. Riku and Sora + Bed ? You'll have to wait and see!

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- I'm glad you didn't bruise anything. Bruises hurt! Sora will make everything better for Riku eventually!

**_Chany_**- GOOZD TO HEAR FROM YOU! Heh, love the spelling for 'good,' I'm going to have to add that to my everyday speech. I'm happy you like the card royalty, but can you guess where it's going? Coley asked for Zidane as well, so he'll be here! Sometime later on anyway…

**_Phantom Fox_**- don't worry about not knowing the characters. If you'd like I can add a brief note in front of every chapter for all the new FF characters that will be coming in, though we probably won't have any new appearances for a while. Vincent Valentine is in this chapter though and the rest, so if you don't know him, I'll be sure to explain him in my author's note for next chapter. Would that help you? You can also ask for any I've added so far that you don't know, to explain or add to the story. Whatever makes it easier! I'd hate to lessen your enjoyment of the story just because you're unclear on whom the characters are! That to me sounds more like the fault of the author then the reader. Sora and Riku do need more alone time! They are in the middle of a war, but they'll get there!

**_Lil Kitty_**- So you're having experience with something like my dilemma with your old Lit teacher? Sorry! At least I'm having fun! I'm glad you think my errors aren't that bad, but let's face it: they're still errors. I'll make sure I pay better attention to fixing them when I edit my chapters.

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Yuffie groaned and rubbed her eyes. She'd had some troubling dreams last night. Insignificant, but troubling nonetheless. After waking up in a cold sweat she found she was unable to fall back asleep, so she'd gotten dressed and slipped down to the kitchens for some coffee. Unfortunately, she couldn't find the ground beans, or the grinder for the whole beans she did find. No coffee for Yuffie.

_Stupid Ansem and his stupid complicated kitchen…_ She ranted unto herself. She stalked angrily out of the kitchen and down the halls aimlessly. _Gawd,_ She thought _how much does it suck to be too awake to go back to sleep, but too asleep to be fully awake?_ She had been heading back to her room, when she noticed one door in the middle of the hall was ajar. Upon closer inspection she saw the red slip of paper on the entry. Her eyes widened when she remembered Sora saying that Vincent's room was somewhere in the middle.

_Vinnie's up!_ With that thought she turned on her heel and dashed back towards the foyer. There she paused. Where would Vinnie go? Down to the sub-levels? No, Sora had said that Sephiroth generally lurked down there, and in his god-awful mood even the steely Vincent Valentine would do wise to avoid. Hmm…. Ah ha! Sora had said he spent a lot of time upstairs in the Grand Hall.

Hoping that his sulking habits were as consistent as his aim, she dashed towards the direction Sora had said the way was yesterday. Ten minutes later Yuffie was beginning to get fed up with all the moving platforms/elevators, and was on her last nerve when it came to the Lift Stop. At last, what she hoped was the final platform creaked to a halt and she gratefully hoped off. Those things moved so slowly that even she didn't get motion sick on them, but dang it was a pain if you were impatient!

She quickly ran inside and eventually she found herself in what she instantly knew was the Grand Hall. One reason was the majesty of the room, more so then the rest of the eerie fortress. Another reason was the fact that the ceiling just went up and up and _up!_ As a feeling vertigo came upon her she shook her head and ventured deeper into the Hall. She maneuvered across the atrium of the entryway carefully; looking with disdain at the large Heartless insignia emblazoned on the carpeting. Eventually she came to stand at the front of the enormous chamber, looking up (though she couldn't see it) at a large (stationary as it was protruding up from the ground) platform surrounded by innumerable orange pipes and metal tubing mounted around the wall and floor. A giant multicolored Heartless emblem seemed to be the focus of the room.

(A/N: You've all played the game you know what that place looks like! Where you fought Riku for the 2nd time!)

Slowly she ascended the steps, using her ninja skills to keep her footsteps silent. Cautiously she peered at the great symbol of darkness and shuddered. _Ansem should really think about redecorating._ She grumbled mentally. It was then that she took noticed of the tall figure cloaked in red sitting on the steps before the Heartless icon. It took her all of about .2 seconds to react.

_"Vincent Valentine!"_ The petite teenager belted at the top of her lungs, with enough force to make the piping on the wall rattle. The black-haired figure shot to his feet, whirling around to face whomever had intruded, quite loudly, into his solitude. He wasn't at all prepared to see one small brunette ninja standing there.

"Yuffie?" He asked as if he didn't quite believe it. "Is that you?" She smirked at his question.

"The one and only!"

"You made it? I thought you were dead!" The collar on his cloak hid Vincent's face, but his ruby shaded eyes were abnormally wide with immense surprise.

"Pfft. As if a little darkness could kill me! I'm the great ninja Yuffie after all!" She grinned at him hopping over to where he stood.

"Is anyone else alive? Did anyone else make it?" He asked curious and anxious all at once. The girl nodded.

"Yup! Sure did! The only ones we know of so far are Cloud, Cid and Aeris, but we're hoping to find the others soon." Vincent's eyes, if possible, widened even further.

"Aeris? She died though. In the City of the Ancients." Yuffie nodded at his statement/question.

"Mhmm. Somehow though, she came back to us. Everyone else is here at Hollow Bastion too, but they're probably still asleep." She told him. "So, do you know about everything that's going on? And then there's also Sephiroth, and-." His raised claw halted her questions.

"Yes, the Keyblade master has been kind enough to fill me in on everything, as well as the reason for bringing me here." The tall sharpshooter sat heavily upon the steps again, Yuffie sitting beside him. There was a odd silence before:

"Um, hey Vinnie?" Vincent couldn't help the small smile at the once-despised nickname. Right now though, it was something familiar in a strange world, and that made it precious.

"Yes?"

"Do you still hate yourself?" The red-eyed man started at this question coming from Yuffie of all people.

"I-no. In all truth, with everything that's happened, it seems I forgotten to do so." He spoke quietly.

"Well, do you think you could forget for a little while longer. You've done too many good deeds in your life to be weighed down by a few bad ones." She murmured, not meeting his eyes.

"I cannot help but disagree with you, however, in light of the Heartless problem, I'll do my best to ignore it for now." He responded.

"That's all I can ask for." She murmured, and they continued to sit in companionable silence.

In the super intelligent musings of one Cloud Strife, insomnia was a thing of evil. This reasoning went right up there with 'Mornings suck' and 'I need caffeine to live!' But this was just the observation of one humble swordsman. When he'd passed Cid's room earlier there were thunderous snores emanating from within, so the pilot had slept like a rock. Yuffie's door was open and she was gone, probably to look for Vincent since his door was also open and his room empty. Aeris's room was quite, whether she was awake or asleep Cloud didn't know. Sora and Riku, Cloud discovered, were in the same room in the same bed in one tangled mass of happy unconsciousness. He didn't dare check on Ansem or Sephiroth. Or Leon for that matter.

Cloud groaned in puzzled frustration at the thought of the swordsman. Exactly _how_ Sora had figured out that he was infatuated with the gothic warrior after being around him for less then a day after returning was one _Hell_ of a feat. _Or I really do spend that much time checking out Leon's ass… _And if that wasn't an embarrassing thought, he wasn't sure what was.

Cloud was currently wandering around the castle, slowly making his way towards the rising falls. With his Buster sword in hand, he fully intended to make use of his unfortunate extra time to squeeze in some much-needed training for facing the Heartless. He was going to help this time, there was no way he was going to let himself hinder the cause. Again.

_I saved a planet from being destroyed by an evil madman and his long-dead mother. I'm not going to let some soulless shadow consume the universe._ He thought determinedly to himself. _Even if I do carry the shame the shadows granted me, that won't weigh me down anymore!_ It was this defining thought that carried him to the inverted waterfalls, where their Gummi ship was parked. And, Cloud discovered with a another frustrated groan, where Leon had decided to train as well.

Cloud felt himself blushing, as he observed the warrior from his higher vantage-point on one of the stationary stone platforms, as the warrior had yet to notice him. _Well,_ he thought with a resigned sigh _I can't avoid him forever. I might as well try to be civil. I have been avoiding him for over twenty-four hours now._ Cloud braced himself.

"Hey Leon!" He greeted. The master of the Gunblade, paused in his consistent and powerful swings to look at who addressed him. He could've sworn the brunet paled. "Looks like you had the same idea I did. You just had it earlier." The blond scratched the back of his head nervously. "Don't suppose I could join you?"

"If you like." Leon's response was quiet. "A warrior can always use a sparring partner." Cloud nodded and jumped to the platform where the gothic fighter stood. Carefully _not_ noticing how Leon had removed his usually ever-present leather jacket, and how his white undershirt was _plastered_ to his torso, his very, very muscled torso, with his perspiration. _Don't stare don't stare don't stare don't dear god he looks good…_ Cloud rapidly lost control of his ever-errant thoughts.

The blond managed to extract himself from his ogling long enough to notice that Leon's ever-present Lion's head necklace, Griever, was as usual, around his neck. "Hey Leon?"

"Yes?"

"Why don't you ever take off Hungwah? Even to train?" At Cloud's question Leon twitched.

"_Why_ exactly do you keep insisting on calling Griever that?" The brunet ground out. Cloud managed a cheeky grin though he knew he should probably fear for his life.

"Well… You changed your name. Why shouldn't its name change?"

"That same old reason isn't going to cut it for such a stupid name. You're going to need to grovel before I forgive you." Cloud smiled at Leon's touchy attitude. This often repeated silly argument was the only easy conversation they had been able to have in weeks. Though it was Sora's observation that really put things in perspective for the blonde warrior, there'd been an uncomfortable tension between them before that.

Leon brandished his sword threateningly, and Cloud, grinning, raised his Buster Blade into an offensive position. There was no signal to alert them as to when they should start, but nevertheless, they moved at the exact same moment. The sound of swift steps on stone and the resoundingly loud _CLANG_ of metal on metal rapidly filled the air. Neither one let up, neither taking the defensive, and neither willing to stop.

It was only when Leon fired a blank in his Gunblade, causing Cloud to misstep that the fighting ended. However, it wasn't at all the way either warrior envisioned it. Cloud spun wildly around as his right foot lost its balance, and his momentum promised to carry him off the platform and to the water below. The blond however, grabbed onto whatever he could to anchor him in reflex. Since Leon was right next to him, the closest thing happened to be Griever.

With an alarmed yelp from Cloud and an indignant 'oomph!' from Leon, the two toppled over the edge to land on the water below. _Crap._ Cloud complained mentally as he felt water seeping into his pants, though he didn't actually sink. _I forgot you don't sink in the water here._ It was at that moment he noticed a rather rigid and totally red-faced Leon covering the blonde's body with his own. It was also at that moment that Cloud became just as flushed as Leon.

The gothic warrior's mind seemed to have shut off in a state of panic, and Cloud's was threatening to do the same. Both their faces we only inches apart, and Cloud forced himself not to move. Any movement would result in very much desired, but very embarrassing contact. Cloud gulped audibly. _Why isn't he moving? If he doesn't move I'm going to do something I'll regret for the rest of my life!_

"C-Cloud?" Leon's voice was shaky and broken, drastically unlike his normal apathetic tone. "Can you let go of Griever? I can't get up…" He averted his eyes in embarrassment, turning, if it was possible, all the redder. The blonde did the same when he realized that he was indeed still holding Leon's necklace, effectively holding him in place. He let go swiftly, but before he had a chance to react and get up, a voice 'ahem'ed above them.

They both snapped their attention upward to see Sora smirking for all his face would stretch. "Sorry to interrupt your guys 'alone time,' but a situation has come up."

"What situation?" Leon demanded, sitting up to pay attention, yet failing to notice he was still straddling Cloud's waist. Sora sighed.

"Another Heartless Ship is on the move. It's heading straight for Halloween Town."

A/N: and chapter 15 has ended, 'tis no more. Now we just have to make it to chapter 16….


	16. Chapter the 16th

A/N: And we did make it! Yay for everyone! I know you all are probably fed up with my snail's pace. Never fear I'm getting sick of it too. Stupid involved plot… I want to write some action! So things will be picking up soon. Too impatient to drag things along as usual… DUDE! My sibling got the first volume of the KH manga! Sora's expressions are so awesome! I wish fighting Darkside and Trickmaster was as easy as they make it look!

Review Responses:

**_Phantom Fox_**- Okey dokey! Here you go! Notes on the Final Fantasy 9 Characters! I don't know whom _you_ don't know that I've already introduced from other FF games (if there are any others you haven't played), so if you could just list the characters you're confused about I can remedy this problem! I'm a little bit leery of saying too much lest you decide to play the game in the future and I don't wanna spoil too much, unfortunately there are some spoilers in my story later on. You seriously need to e-mail me or something, so I know if you care or not…Lessee… Uh… The ones I mentioned before from FF9 are Zidane, the main character, Freya one of your party members, Vivi same as Freya, and Kuja the villain. Zidane Tribal is as I said the main playable character. He has semi long blond hair (To just above his shoulders), green eyes (I think) he wears this mostly blue and white outfit thingy and he has a monkey tail (seriously). He also fights with a sword/dagger/blade/whatever. He was part of a gang called Tantalus in the beginning of the game, but when they kidnapped the Princess Garnet (later a.k.a. Dagger) things got outta hand. He ended up protecting her on all the adventures in the game (sounds corny but true). Freya Crescent, one of my personal favorites, is a burmecian. Which means she is a rat-person, but she seriously looks cool! Do you know what a Red Mage looks like from the early Final Fantasy games? She looks kinda like that. Tall winged red hat, long red coat, long white hair, elongated mouse-like face (You never really see her eyes as they're under the brim of the hat), clawed hands and feet, brown leggings over her legs, a thin mouse-tail with an orange ribbon, and she fights with a spear. She was searching for her love, Sir Fratley (who has amnesia), when she met up with Zidane, a prior acquaintance, and soon joined his group. Kuja, the Villain of the game, has long white hair, pale skin (but he wears make up like red eyeliner), green eyes (again, I think), and he wears this purple and white out fit thing (which quite seriously includes a thong) He too has a tail. He is a weapons dealer and he has been making Black mages out of mist for the Queen of the Country Alexandria (Garnet's mother) and her war. He rides a silver dragon. Vivi is a black mage Kuja created, but for some reason he has a sense of himself and isn't a mindless killing machine. He is very innocent despite his immense power, and spends much of the game trying to prove his own existence. I suck at descriptions, so you might wanna google their names into the image search and see them for yourself. Seriously though, let me know whom you don't so I can help! There will be some spoilers in the story, so watch out. Let me know if this bothers you and we'll see if I can't mange this stupid over-involved plot to get them out. But if you don't care I like to leave them in… But only if you don't!

**_K_**- glad you're still laughing and haven't died of suffocation! It's really hard to do both!

**_Coley_**- so do like Yuffie/Vincent? If so then great! I personally think they're excellent character foils, writing nerd that I am. Aw, I'm your hero? Wow, I feel special! If all it takes to be people's hero is to put some wet, sweaty, gay men in a fanfiction then I'm set to go! I love the song 'This is Halloween'! At least it's a good song to have stuck in your head, not something, like 'It's a Small World.' _Shudders_. As for going there and having costumes… Read the chapter!

**_Yamibakeru_**- I really look forward to your reviews I hope you know. They're quite insightful and they usually come in after everyone else who's going to review already has, so they give me something to look forward to. You went to Beijing? I'd be jealous if it didn't sound like you were really miserable. Plot thickening is good! We'll make something out of this story yet! Fluff is fun, but I can't wait to actually get to the meat of this thing!

**_KarisePaisley92005_**- Heh, you, like Yamibakeru in the text above you, always reviews right before I update, which is a nice surprise. Thanks! SO! You were stuck on Riku 2nd time forever too! Jeez I must've died at least fifteen times… I'm so pathetic…But that cut scene and the one after it are probably my favorites out of the whole game! Minus the opening and ending movies. Overall YAYness is nice! I'll strive for the YAYness!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Sora yawned groggily. He hated waking up, with a passion. He groaned and tried to roll over, only to discover that there was something securely locked around his waist. A very warm and very breathing something. _A very attractive something._ Sora thought with a gulp as he realized Riku was still plastered to his side, not that he was complaining.

The silver-haired teen was sound asleep, mouth hanging open, with both hands locked around the brunet's waist in a death grip. Sora smiled fondly and combed his fingers through the shinning hair, softly and affectionately. This was perfect. This was all the Keyblade master had ever wanted. Just to be with his friend, for as long as he was able. Sora hoped that just for a minute, that maybe nothing would disturb the sanctity of this moment, however, he was soon disappointed.

**_"KEYBLADE MASTER!"_ **Sora shouted in surprise and jumped several feet into the air and out of bed, quite successfully waking up Riku in the process.

"Sora?" He asked fully aware when he realized that something was wrong with his friend. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine I just-."

**_"Keyblade master!"_ **Eclipse's voice interrupted again. **_"I'm sorry to disturb you, but it is urgent that you report to the library immediately!"_ ** With that he was gone.

"- Have to get up now 'cause duty calls." Sora finished darkly. Riku gave him a questioning stare.

"Eclipse said I have to go to the library immediately."

"Eclipse?"

"Ansem's guardian. You remember him. He looks like a Heartless. More so then Vivi." Sora tried reminding his friend.

"I know who Eclipse is, I just forgot for a moment that he spoke with you, ah, _mentally._" Riku fumbled for words. "Can he not speak normally?"

"Hmm. According to Ansem the answer's 'yes,' however, if anyone other then Ansem hears his voice, then they die, as far as I know. Fortunately there's no risk of this as I don't think the bindings can come off of his mouth. At least, not that I've heard of or seen. However, Eclipse can shape-shift, and when those bindings disappear, he has to make sure to never speak, otherwise… Who knows what loopholes there are though." Sora explained all of this as he yanked some clothes out of the dresser. A black pair of pants with a chain, a gray T-shirt, a black jumper, a pair of finger-less black gloves, and his trademark yellow shoes and crown necklace; and put them on, ignorant of Riku's rapidly reddening face.

"Ah." Riku replied, not quite sure how to reply as he was rather distracted by an undressing and dressing Sora. He was rather disappointed though, when he didn't get to see him fully naked.

"You should go and get dressed as well, and then come to the Library. I'm sure you'll have to be filled in on whatever Ansem wants eventually." Sora told him. Riku nodded, jumping off the bed and headed for his own room. Sora watched him leave before snatching a key ring from inside one of the dresser drawers. All of his Keyblade key chains dangled innocently from the small silver ring. He pulled out another necklace chain and slipped the ring onto it, before clasping it around his neck and stuffing it inside his shirt and out of sight.

He walked out of the room, and down the hall at a brisk pace, making a beeline for the archive. He opened the doors and sprinted to the upper level, where he saw Ansem bent over a large map, and Eclipse hovering nervously around his obviously agitated master. "Alright, I'm here." Sora announced dully, waving a greeting to Eclipse, which the Guardian returned. "What is it?"

"We," Ansem declared "have a serious problem." Sora arched one eyebrow in question. The former Heartless master opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of the doors opening and shutting hurriedly alerted the two of them. Riku came sprinting up the stairs a minute later, dressed in a green shirt and blue-black pants, his gauntlets and boots strapped in place. Sora nodded to him as he approached, and turned back to Ansem.

"As I was saying, we have a serious problem." He repeated, and gestured to the map he had unfolded. It was a map of all the worlds between Traverse Town and The End of the World. The platinum haired man pointed to a cluster of worlds close to Hollow Bastion. "The Heartless might be going on the offensive." He concluded. "We'd thought they were finished in this cluster, but for some reason they're moving against Halloween Town."

"What? I thought they were finished attacking worlds close to us! They tested Monstro, Agrabah, and Neverland, and then moved onto worlds further away! Why would they come back here? Especially if they know we can move against them so quickly?" Sora demanded.

"How should I know!" Ansem snarled. "This is completely unexpected…"

**_"And you have no time to contact Kagi."_ **Eclipse reminded his master privately.

"How long until they get there?" Sora asked quietly.

"About twelve hours." Ansem responded. Sora sighed in a relieved tone.

"Good. We can get there in six. This time we'll have ample opportunity to set up a defense. We won't have to just land and attack."

"So we have twelve hours before the Heartless attack Halloween Town?" Riku questioned. Both Sora and Ansem nodded. "I've never been there personally, but we're not getting anything done loitering here like ordinary teenagers." Sora grinned at his statement.

"Your right! And we can't have that 'cause we are _anything_ but ordinary!" Riku nodded in response, also grinning.

"Alright then, lets get everyone moving." Ansem concluded. "I don't particularly like the situation, something doesn't quite feel right. However, we can't afford to sit back and do nothing. Sora, you go and get Cloud and Leon. They'll both be at the Rising Falls."

"Together?" Sora asked smirking. Ansem nodded.

"Riku, you need to go get Yuffie and Vincent, who are in the Grand Hall upstairs. It takes a while to get there, so make sure that when you make it to the Gummi ship you are ready to go _immediately._" He instructed. The silver-haired teen nodded. "I'll go and get Cid and Aeris." With that the three of them slit ways, going to round up their respective parties.

Fifteen minutes later everyone was accounted for as Yuffie, Vincent, (As he'd decided to join the group) and Riku clambered aboard. Sora was still snickering at what he'd found when he'd retrieved Leon and Cloud, who were still quite red in the face, and still pointedly _not_ looking at one another. The Key master only giggled even more when Vincent and Leon, having never met, proceeded to have a staring/glaring contest without exchanging a word. Cid was absolutely irate. His blond hair was a mess, his goggles were skewed, his clothes were wrinkled, and he had the distinct odor of morning breath. Obviously Ansem had not afforded the pilot any time to get ready before hauling him to the ship. Aeris looked as she normally did, which meant she must've been awake before Ansem retrieved her.

"Alright are we ready to go?" Cid demanded, not really expecting an answer as he started the launch sequence anyway. The Gummi ship lurched as it took off and soon the black of space opened up in front of them as they left Hollow Bastion behind. Suddenly something occurred to Sora.

"Uh, Ansem?" He called.

"What?" The older man grumbled form his seat, as he stared out the window into nothingness.

"Whenever I traveled to Halloween Town before this, Donald always used his magic to make us look like the inhabitants would. What are we going to do now?" Sora asked. The platinum haired man smirked at the younger teen.

"Oh it will be well taken care of. You can be sure of that."

"Well this is utterly _retarded!_" Sora snickered, his fangs poking out from between his lips, his one blue eye that was visible, unlike the other hidden beneath the pumpkin mask, glittered with amusement at Yuffie's aggravated shouts. But then again, not many people would be comfortable being see-through. However, when one has to blend with the inhabitants in a town of constant Halloween, nothing can be predicted. Sora snickered again. _When in Olympus, do as the Olympians do. Or the freakish monsters, as it were._

No one though, looked too happy about the Halloween costume Ansem had given them. Or that Ansem's power had given them, whatever. Sora, luckily enough, looked as he always did whenever he came here. His 'normal' black, white, and gray ensemble, the pumpkin mask, the bat wings, and his vampire fangs.

Riku, to the teen's obvious chagrin, was what appeared to be a werewolf. His hair was shaggy and out of place, falling haphazardly into his eyes, which were brilliant turquoise with cat-like pupils. His ears were covered in silver fur and were canine, swiveling back and forth to hear everything around him. His clothing was shredded to the point of being nearly nonexistent; something that Sora spent a moment studying approvingly. His fingers and now-bare toes had large black talons in place of finger and toenails, and there was a shaggy silver tail swishing to-and-fro from an untidily ripped hole in the seat of his pants.

Cloud was, unfortunately for the blonde, a demon-looking monster. All this meant was that his golden gauntlet seemed to be fused with his hand, he had large curving horns arching out of his hair to end near his shoulders. He had fangs, claws on his visible hand, and instead of his one concealed and secret black demon's wing, he now had two _enormous_ wings that nothing would ever be able to hide. (Cloud himself was tripping over them) Oh, that and his skin was solid black and his eyes were bright red.

Leon wasn't all that pleased either (Understatement of the century…). He had gone from being a proudly stoic swordsman, to a scruffy pirate. He had a tattered red bandana over his hair, which was completely hidden under it, an eye patch over his right eye, a messy and loose white shirt covered in a leather vest, black pants, one leg ended in a black leather boot, the other… Poor Leon had become peg-legged.

Yuffie, as was previously mentioned, was see-through. But then again, most ghosts were generally transparent. She looked about the same… if you could ignore the weightless chains around her wrists and ankles, and the fact that her solidity was ephemeral at best and completely without substance at worst.

Aeris was, ironically enough, a zombie. The irony was not lost on Sora, though the others seemed to be too preoccupied with themselves to appreciate it. Though there weren't any missing limbs or other cliched zombie characteristics, there wasn't any mistaking what she was.

Cid was a patchwork monster, like something out of _Frankenstein_. Parts of his skin looked like they'd been sewn on, and he was tinted an off-green color that was slightly gray. There were also two rather suspicious bolts protruding out of his neck.

Vincent and Ansem, strangely enough, didn't look any different. But then, they really didn't look all that out-of-place in Halloween Town either… Sora shrugged mentally. _Whatever…_

The Keyblade master chuckled a bit as he listened to them shout, yell and just generally bemoan what had happened to them.

"I feel like I'm naked!" Riku grumbled.

"My leg is gone!" Leon was snarling. "And why the heck am I wearing this stupid eye-patch… _What the Hell! _ My eye is gone too!"

"I'm not just see-through! I can actually move through things!" Yuffie yelled loudly.

Cloud tripped on his wings again falling flat on his face. The look that promised murder on Cid's face fit the character he portrayed rather nicely. Aeris, it seemed, was the only one who didn't seem to have anything to say, or feel like wearing her violent thoughts on her sleeve. However Sora was having a hard time imagining the gentle flower girl as anything near violent.

Sora was laughing at Leon as his peg leg got stuck in the cobbles, causing him to fall over, conveniently enough on top of Cloud who couldn't scamper out of the way fast enough. Out of the corner of his eye the Keyblade master noticed something odd. He subtly angled his head to see what had got his attention a little better. Yes, the brunet decided; this was certainly odd.

What Sora had spotted was a man. However, this was no ordinary man. Actually, it was, and _that_ was what was so strange. There in the middle of Halloween Town, was a normal looking person! The man was in his late twenties with pin-straight hair that fell to his shoulders and was black around his scalp, but blue at the tips. His eyes were blank, but an almost iridescent gold color, and his pale face was set into a neutral expression. There was a mark shaped like a spade on his right cheek, and a capital 'J' on his left. He was tall, about Leon's height, and he was dressed in odd clothing. Well, no more odd then what Sora, Cloud, and the rest of them wore on a day-to-day basis.

He wore a long black cloak that fell around his shoulders to the ground, hanging open in front, revealing what he wore underneath. His shirt seemed to be mostly straps and buckles, and his jet-black pants were tucked into the tops of tall black leather boots. He wore elegant black leather gloves on his hands. Sora was shaken out of his observations when he noticed the man was mouthing something.

_What?_ Sora tried to make out what he was gesturing. 'Wait'

'for'

'them'

'they'

'will'

'be'

'here'

'soon.'

_Huh? What on earth-?_ It was at that moment that the odd man gave a shallow two-finger salute… to Sora. _Great Light he was talking to me!_ Before the Key master could process exactly what this meant, a commotion from his group got his attention. When he turned to see what it was, his eyes widened in shock. Well, this certainly was a surprise…

A/N: CHAPTRER 16 IS OVER!


	17. Chapter the 17th

A/N: And chapter 17 is here! Happiness! Not really, this chapter sucks. Seriously, you're all going to hate me! But I promise the next chapter will have lots O' action! And things are better after that! Promise! OMG I got the coolest book over the weekend. It's not anime/manga/video game related but it's still freakin awesome! It's called _The Plucker_ by Brom and it's like Toy Story on an acid trip with voodoo! Ahem… And if you haven't seen the show called Ghost Stories I highly recommend it! It's so hysterical! They make digs against everything! Even the voice actors!

Review Responses:

**_Phantom Fox_**- I'm glad the descriptions were all right! I was thinking they were pretty bad. My sibling got the manga at a Books-a-Million I think… Shouldn't be too hard to find I'd think but if you're having difficulties then that proves me wrong. If you're still interested in reading the descriptions I'll still do them, I just think I suck at it. And you seriously need to tell me whom else, if anyone, you don't know. I'm running on empty!

**_Lil Kitty_**- Yep, poor Leon. I had no idea what to make him, and my brother was watching _Dodge Ball_, so… yeah…Dang, if I didn't have so much fun playing the game normally I would've wanted those cheats! Oh well, too late now, and I had fun anyway. There does need to be more action! Unfortunately this chapter is worthless! Sorry!

**_Boogiepop Reborn_**- you say that about all my chapters… And I'm _not_ putting Ryuk or Bearbees in here! No, Leon's peg leg doesn't kick ass; it just knocks him over. I'm not giving Aeris a bloody stump either, I like her, remember. It's you people who hate her!

**_Yamibakeru_**- Have I told you that I really like your reviews? Cause I do! Happiness! Ahem… Cool! I predicted the future! Hmm, Next I predict there will be an update! Hey look I was right again! I knew about Vincent (Coincidentally like right before I got your review), but Vivi? SWEET! Nevermind… So Darkside was as easy for you as in the manga huh? Wasn't _that_ easy, but he really couldn't be called 'hard' could he? Yeah, the costumes were a waste of time. But I love description, though I'm not so good at it, and I didn't want to just say 'Riku was a werewolf, Yuffie was a ghost, Leon was a pirate.' The picture they make in my head is very entertaining; I wanted everybody else to see the same thing. Looks like I got carried away! Oops.

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last time:_ **What?**_** Sora tried to make out what he was gesturing. **

**'Wait' **

**'for' **

**'them'**

**'they'**

**'will'**

**'be'**

**'arriving'**

**'soon.'**

**_Huh? What on earth-?_ It was at that moment that the odd man gave a shallow two-finger salute… to Sora. _Dear God he was talking to me!_ Before the Key master could process exactly what this meant, a commotion from his group got his attention. When he turned to see what it was, his eyes widened in shock. Well, this certainly was a surprise…**

"Is that who I think it is?" Sora asked amusedly to Ansem, whose eyes were firmly glued to the approaching figure. His only reply was a distracted noncommittal murmur. No one else in their party seemed to know what to make of the new arrival either. A young man stood before them, with deep ebony hair, short except for two long and jagged locks that fell zigzagging their way to his waist. He had bright yellow eyes, pale skin and a slim but muscular frame. His clothing was loose, made of a wispy blue-black material that alternately clung to his limbs and billowed around him with the breeze.

The newcomer paused before the group, then he turned towards Ansem. The orange-eyed man approached slowly and stood before the arrival. The younger of the two gave a soft smirk-smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners pleasantly. Ansem's response was immediate. In one deft movement, he'd seized the black-haired being and drawn him into a fiery kiss. Riku, Leon, Cloud, Cid and the rest of the group could only stare in shock, their mouths slowly falling open. Sora only snickered. It was only once Ansem had released the slimmer figure that Sora managed a greeting, though far less involved, of his own.

"This is quite unusual. Seeing you transformed in public Eclipse." The Key master grinned. The guardian-come-human only smirked at Sora from the embrace of Ansem's arms, and speaking telepathically for all to hear:

**_"Well with a greeting like my master's it a wonder I don't do it more often."_**

"Wait, _that's_ Eclipse? I thought Eclipse was that shadow creature that's always hanging around Ansem!" Cloud was obviously confused and dumbfounded.

**_"I am indeed Ansem's guardian. For a being such as I am shape shifting is no difficult art."_** Was Eclipse's calm reply. Cloud wisely chose not to say anything.

"Wait," Riku whispered to himself "I know your voice…" He looked at the dark specter with wide eyes. "You're the one who-!" A softly smiling Eclipse, who gently put his finger to his own mouth in a 'secretive silence' gesture, cut his exclamation short. "Well, thanks…" The silver haired boy whispered to the Guardian, who nodded in return.

As Ansem's guardian was introduced more familiarly to the group, Sora turned his attention back to the odd man he'd seen, only to find him missing. _Huh, this is interesting… He didn't feel like a Heartless, but that could mean nothing. What to do, what to do. Even if I try and find him, he's probably vanished, as odd people tend to do. Wish I could vanish…_ Sora studied his surroundings intensely, noting the entirety of the Halloween Town central plaza, from the green fountain, to Guillotine Gate, to the Professor's Laboratory. Nothing out of the… Well everything was as it should be.

The Key bearer cast a glance at the crooked clock tower of the town and noted the time. There was still a good five hours to waste. Nodding to himself, he turned back to the group and caught their attention. Well, everyone except Ansem and Eclipse, as the two were still far to engrossed in one another. Sora ignored them.

"Alright, we've still got quite a bit of time before the expected arrival of the Heartless vessel. In four and a half-hours we'll meet back in front of Guillotine Gate. Until then the time is your own. I'm going to find Jack, for those of you who don't know he he's the leader-ish of this world, and inform him, as he has a right to know the situation." The youngest brunet explained.

"I'll come too." Riku nodded towards his friend. Sora smiled thankfully and continued to speak.

"If you decided to train, make sure you don't wear yourself out. Once the Heartless arrive we get no second chances." Everyone nodded. "Alright, then I'll see you in a few hours."

Nearly five hours later everyone was assembled again. Sora and Riku had warned Jack, but the skeletal specter was overjoyed for another chance at getting the Heartless to dance with him. However he'd agreed to keep out of he way. Vincent had attempted to slink off somewhere only to be caught and followed by Yuffie. Cloud was standing quietly to the side, and were it not for his gleaming red eyes, Sora wouldn't have been able to see him, his black skin camouflaged him so well. The blonde warrior had, after the fiasco this morning, capered off in the direction of the Spiral hill, still tripping over his gigantic wingspan, to do heaven knew what. Leon, rather incapacitated as he was, had loitered around the central square, brooding to himself and sending evil glares to anything that came within twenty feet of him. Cid had gone and worked around the Gummi ship, muttering something about 'upgrading the tin can with wings.' Aeris, ever the thoughtful soul, had bought a stock of potions for the party. Ansem and Eclipse seemed to be slightly more willing to pay attention to everything outside their little world, finally.

"Well, they'll be here soon." Sora began after Aeris had handed out the potions. "I'm not even going to try and persuade you all not to fight this time, as I know none of you will listen."

"Damn straight." Riku nudged Sora's arm affectionately. Sora chuckled.

"All I can ask is that you please be careful. I know you can handle it, but don't take unnecessary risks. I hope that's a given." Nods to this statement. "Alright, Riku and I developed a strategy that might just work. If we fight by ourselves individually then it's easier for them to pick us off and we will constantly be worrying about everyone else. We'll fight in pairs: Riku and I will stick together and Ansem and Eclipse are inseparable anyway. Leon and Cloud need to get over their feud, Vincent and Yuffie contrast one another nicely, and since Aeris is the most experienced healer, I'd like her to stand off the battle field and do just that. I'd like you, Cid, to cover her."

Ansem and Eclipse nodded, grinning to one another, Leon and Cloud paled, glanced at the other, blushed and looked away. Vincent nodded solemnly while Yuffie cheered, and Aeris smiled and nodded eagerly, while Cid gave a curt nod.

"Everyone understand? Good. I'd like everyone to space himself or herself out and surround the square. This place here, like the town plaza at Traverse Town, is the easiest and closest place for a Gummi ship to be without landing, and I haven't encountered a wave of Heartless who've landed their ship yet. Alright, we've got about ten minutes before they're supposed to arrive, give or take a few minutes probably." Sora told them glancing at the clock.

"Do you think they know we're here?" Yuffie asked.

"Count on it." Ansem muttered. "The Heartless may be just shadows and darkness, but whoever it is that's organizing them has some _very_ effective connections. Don't take anything in battle with them for granted or as given, and especially do not underestimate them." As this came from the former Heartless master himself, everyone nodded attentively.

"Well then, let's do this stupid thing and get the Hell outta here!" Cid roared: the starting bell for everyone to take his or her positions. Everyone was circling the square, once they'd spaced out in the assigned pairs. Ansem and Eclipse guarded Guillotine Gate, and the Guardian had returned to his normal apparition-like appearance. Aeris was in front of Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory, as it was the most defensible position in town (as if things got too intense she could retreat inside), and Cid was in front of her. Leon and Cloud were watching the entrance to the graveyard, ready to make sure no shadows escaped that way. Vincent and Yuffie waited in the shadows by the large, round, monster-like structure. Sora and Riku stood in the center of the square, waiting for the imminent attack.

The minutes passed like hours, no one daring to speak with one another as they waited for a sign of the enemy. Suddenly a dull humming drone filled the air, steadily growing louder and louder. "Above!" Riku yelled over the now roaring noise.

"It can't be!" Sora shouted in disbelief, his bright eyes wide. Where he had always challenged two waves of his enemies with one ship per wave, now three ships hovered ominously above Halloween Town. Sora gripped Shadow Banisher tightly, unsure now if winning as a feasible option. The great ships of Darkness opened slowly, and the shadows poured out as if a great figure was standing in front of a powerful light. They filled the plaza, their hundreds of yellow eyes glowing endlessly, with no fear, no joy, no soul.

Sora was utterly terrified. Never had he faced so many Heartless at once. He wasn't sure if he could possibly win, and if he were to fall then what…? The Keyblade master's eyes hardened, and he held the weapon ready. It didn't matter, he had to win. Too many people were counting on his victory, to many worlds were counting on him. If he were to die here, who knew how long it would take before the next Keyblade master would emerge to pick up the slack he'd left behind him?

As the confidence and courage of the Key bearer was restored, a deafening roar emanated over the air, shaking the foundations of the very town. Sora looked up with wide blue eyes at a covey of eleven mighty Crusaders.

"Oh heaven…" He breathed in disbelief.

"Sora are those…?" Riku asked nervously.

"Yes."

"What are we going to do?" Sora's eyes shut at his friend's question. One of the Crusaders hovering in the air swooped down to land on the cobblestones with a heavy thud, joining the thousands of other shadows already there. The remaining ten great Heartless soon joined the first of their group, the entire battalion now standing firmly between the Guillotine Gate and the plaza fountain.

"There's only one thing to do Riku." Sora told his friend quietly.

"You don't mean…?" Sora didn't reply to the question his silver-haired friend never finished. Instead he retrieved the ring his Key chains rested in, and deftly unhooked one that was glowing, and was designed as a shinning crystal.

"Sora! But that's-! You can't-!"

"Please don't try to stop me Riku," Sora told his friend quietly. "You know that this is the only way." And with that final statement, in one fluid motion, he unhooked Shadow Banisher's Key chain from his great blade, and attached the Hallowed Crystal.

A/N: And so that's all for Chapter 17. Yes, I know! That was short, and horribly bad! Feel free to tell me how much I suck! I'll only agree with you! I promise the next chapters are better! Solid action and plot next! I swear! **_Tell you guys what? I'll make you a deal! Since this chapter was so horribly horrible, if a bunch of you could recommend some really, really good KH fanfiction for me to read, as I haven't read any in a while, I'll update within a few days! Sound fair? I may not read cause I'm embarrassingly picky about everything, but I will look into it! Oh! And if you've written any fiction you'd like me to review I will with pleasure! It can be anything from PWP, oneshot, songfic, multichapter, anything! Oh, and I also read some things on so that's an option too!_**


	18. Chapter the 18th

A/N: And this is chapter18. Happiness! I was going to update yesterday, but where I live we had a snow day! My cousin and her boyfriend drug me kicking a screaming out into the white stuff to go sledding, though we did more fighting with it then sledding on it… I haven't had time to read all the fics you recommended for me after I begged you. Jeez, I was complaining of not having enough to read and then right after I update my history teacher assigns us an _ass load_ of work! I'm totally bogged down! Anyway… GUEST WHAT! I've been promising it and promising it and it's finally here! AN ACTION SCENE! WE HAVE ACTION! Now I have to find the lights and the camera…

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Review Responses: O.O The response to this chapter was overwhelming! I had more reviews for this short filler chapter then I've had for any thus far! I was staring at my inbox going 'zOMG response!'

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- Don't worry about missing an update, the fact that people even bother to read this crazy thing has me tickled pink. So that was your favorite part? Cool, Hollow Bastion was just plain too cool for school in general. It was one of those worlds I didn't like plating through the first time I did it, but loved it once I was done. Sorry, I don't know where you could get that screen shot. Boogiepop Reborn might. She's an Internet Nazi, so ask her or I'll ask her for you, whatever. Glad you like the descriptions, I was stuck on what some of them should be dressed as for a while. Leon was a bit of an epiphany grins Those really calm, collected, and stoic characters are too much fun to humiliate! Thanks for the fic suggestion, she did the RK outtakes right? Those were absolutely hysterical.

**_Coley_**- yeah, another cliffhanger… Can't help it, they really are fun. Oh, I would _so_ care if you were upset. You people are the only reason I bother to keep writing this.

**_Boogipop Reborn:_** You know… Considering you say you don't like yaoi, you are awful enthusiastic about Ansem and Eclipse… Neopets Yuri? That's so weird… And you are the _last_ person who has virgin eyes with all this shit you watch. No, Eclipse definitely never thinks that of Ansem, so deal with it.

**_Phantom Fox_**- Glad you thought the last chapter didn't suck, but face it, it was depressingly short. So you like Ansem's little greeting? That is the power of boredom! I've utterly killed Ansem's character, but at least I'm having a ball! Thanks for the recommendations, as soon as my history teacher gives me my life back I'll look into them!

**_Lil Kitty_**- Wow! I'm flattered! _This_ is your favorite one? Thank you! I'm so horribly uber picky about what I read it's not even funny; glad I'm not the only one! You wait all week for the updates? That kinda sounds really boring… If I had more time to devote to writing this then I'd update faster, but life's trying to eat me alive. So you appreciate character development? Good 'cause by the time I'm done with these guys they'll have gone through character development boot camp! I had problems with the Maleficent dragon too, but I was using this strategy a guide gave me, and died the first minute of battle every time. I finally said 'screw it' and hacked to pieces. Long live the hack-and-slash! Ahem… La la la…

**_Haro-Haro_**- Hello! Haven't heard from you before! Glad you think it's interesting, I think this thing is crazy.

**_S'Star_**- Ooh, another first time reviewer! Hello! Don't worry about me writing more, then only reason I'll stop is if I die!

**_Yamibakeru_**- Oh dear… It's shorter then Ed… I'm not sure if I should be proud I've accomplished the impossible or humiliated at what I accomplished. I think I'm going with humiliated, it _is_ Ed after all. Nothing should ever be shorter then he is… And I can't stop flaming myself! I _hate_ weak writing! Especially when it's my own! AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH! PAIN AND AGONY! Alright I'm okay now. Oh, and it can't be you job if you haven't done it yet! But that doesn't mean to start! That's for the suggestion! I think I've read something by that author but I can't remember what off the top of my head. Always a pleasure to hear from you!

**_Shi no Yume_**- So you want some war! Well read on and there will be way more war to come!

**_Chany_**- Yes it was really short, I'm well aware believe me… Thanks for the suggestions! I think I might've read 'Heartagram' before… Sounds familiar… Anyway I will indeed keep working hard! I'll call it my best and only piece! Haven't really written any other fanfictions yet…

Last Time: **"Please don't try to stop me Riku," Sora told his friend quietly. "You know that this is the only way." And with that final statement, in one fluid motion, he unhooked Shadow Banisher's Key chain from his great blade, and attached the Hallowed Crystal.**

The mighty Key Sora held glowed with an almost fearsome light. To Riku it seemed to be reflecting the determination of its wielder. As the Hallowed Crystal's light flickered over the jagged and uneven shapes of Halloween Town, eerie shadows seemed to dance with glee as if they were shades, possessing fragmented souls.

The noise at this point in time was deafening. Crusaders roared and shrieked, the other heartless hissed, cried, shrilled, and screamed. Ansem was shouting, Cid was yelling, and everyone else called out something that only added to the overwhelming din. The plaza, which smelled of dust and mildew when they'd arrived, now had the odor of ozone.

Sora raised the foreboding Keyblade and the Heartless, sensing the threat, scattered, and reformed rapidly, too fast for Sora to lock on them.

"Fine then." The teenager growled, and dashed forward, swinging the mighty Key in a wide arc horizontally in front of him, but the Crusader he had been aiming for dashed away, and all he cut down were two Darkballs, a Wyvern, and several Blue Rhapsodies. For a moment it was only Sora versus the innumerable Heartless: slashing, casting spells, and dodging various offensives.

Suddenly a loud shot rang out clearly, despite the noise. An Invisible disintegrated into nothingness. Everyone except Sora and the Heartless faced the direction the sound had come from, only to see Vincent, _Death Penalty_ out, reloaded, and ready to fire again.

"Well Vinnie's got the right idea! What are we waiting for?" Yuffie declared, withdrawing her Conformer, which she promptly let fly, slicing several heartless in its path. Cloud and Leon exchanged one swift look of agreement, before charging into battle. Leon had gotten quite proficient at moving with his wooden leg, and Cloud used his wings as a great, black, buffer against the Heartless, giving him plenty of berth with which to wield his Buster Blade.

Ansem and Eclipse cut through line after line of the shadows, working as an efficient team just as they had back in Traverse Town. Riku cut through the masses of darkness, using Locksmith to its utmost deadly efficiency, fighting to keep Sora's back clear of any surprise attacks.

A particularly loud shriek pierced the battlefield and everything's attention focused to where one of the many Crusader's was disintegrating, having been defeated by the Keyblade master. Sora whirled on his heel, and, shooting a bright blast of energy felled two more Crusader Heartless, which had been closing in on Cloud and Leon.

It was then that Riku noticed a distinct difference in the battle pattern the Crusader's were using. At Traverse they'd worked together to uncover Ansem's weakness and control the battle. Here they were disorganized, and singled out, unable to fight together.

**_"It's because of the terrain and the number of other Heartless here." _**Eclipse's voice rang in his head. Riku turned to see Ansem and his faithful Guardian hovering close by, quickly stopping any creature of Darkness that came too close. **_"Though the area is larger, there are obstacles all over the ground, and the Crusaders can't seem to collaborate with the other Heartless around, which is probably the reason they've always fought without the aid of another species before this."_**

"Alright then that means we simply take out all the Crusaders first!" Sora yelled and sliced his way through a fourth of the eleven Great shadow creatures.

"Only the Keyblade can defeat a Heartless of that power!" Ansem informed them, also having to shout. "Distract the remaining Crusaders until Sora can kill which ever one you're detaining!" The group wordlessly put Ansem's advice into action, Cloud and Leon distracted a Crusader each, keeping them within close proximity with another group of shadows, and constantly switched targets, not giving the immense Heartless time to memorize their fighting patterns. Yuffie and Vincent, with their long-range attacks kept a pair of the monsters from gaining any ground as well. Ansem and Eclipse, as well as Riku mercilessly pummeled the last three Crusaders, keeping them from forming ranks against him as they'd learned to do in Traverse Town.

Sora went to the two Yuffie and Vincent were holding first. Who knew when one of the monsters would knock Yuffie's conformer to some deserted corner of Halloween Town where they'd never be able to find it, or Vincent might run out of ammunition?

"Ars Arcanum!" Sora shouted and leaped forward, almost as if possessed by an over-eager Keyblade. The fifth Crusader collapsed in a cloud of flickering shadows.

_**CRASH!**_

Sora was sent flying as one of the great Heartless' attacks connected solidly with him. He hit the cobblestones with almost bone-breaking force, rolling over and over again before stopping on his stomach.

"SORA!" Riku shouted in terror, body frozen as he watched the one he loved land in a crumpled heap. "SORA!" He cried out again. The smaller brunet still did not move. "No…" He whispered, horror over coming his senses. This couldn't be happening; it just couldn't…

A green light enveloped the fallen Keyblade master, three golden bells appearing above his head. Riku's eyes widened as he recognized the Curaga spell. Sora suddenly pushed himself off the cobblestones, dazed look in his eyes, which he promptly shook off. Both he and Riku looked over at Aeris. She gave a pleased smiled and gave them a thumbs up.

"We're not finished yet." She told them. "Go get 'em." Sora grinned in response and charged back to the battlefield, and with a great excess of powerful strikes, completely annihilated the Crusader who's struck him.

"Five to go!" He shouted wildly and took off in the direction of Cloud and Leon. Riku spared a moment to mouth a grateful 'thank you' to the flower girl. She smiled happily and winked in return. As Riku turned to follow his friend, a cry rang out as another Crusader went down.

The other one broke from Cloud, who'd been bashing it repeatedly with the blade of his sword, and swiped at Sora with its beak. The Key master parried the blow, shunting the head of the Heartless sideways, leaving its long neck open to attack. If the shadows could bleed, there would've been a horrible mess. However, the head of the monster did go flying, and it grotesquely disintegrated a full minute after the body had vanished. Ansem was smirking, and he looked quite pleased.

"That's it!" He yelled enthusiastically. "Show no fear! You are the master of the mighty Key! They are nothing but shadows! Show them the light and they will vanish!"

"Shut up! I'm in the process of trying to prove you right!" Sora shouted irritably as he dashed towards the former Heartless master and the three Crusaders that he was currently detaining with Eclipse. Riku, along with the remainder of the group, set about to start dispatching the other Heartless.

Sora leaped high into the air, avoiding the snapping jaws of one of the shadows. Instead of killing the beast, the Key master landed square on its back, right between the gargantuan wings. He swayed a little as he fought to keep his balance on the moving, shifting body beneath his feet. He stayed there only a moment…

…Just long enough for another of the last three Crusaders to try to attack, he dogged out of the way, and instead of having a mouthful of Key master, it ended up with a jaw-full of fellow Crusader. The victim of the two shrieked in pain, and made a snap at the one who'd injured it. Sora landed gracefully and took careful aim with the glowing Keyblade, before firing one of the dazzlingly bright, and yet terrifyingly destructive blasts that it seemed only Hallowed Crystal was capable of. Both the Heartless evaporated in darkness.

Sora now stood before the only remaining of the great shadows. All the Heartless now stood unmoving, as if watching what was about to unfold. The Crusader's intelligent golden eyes gazed at Sora impassively, objectively, and without any trace of humanity.

"Sooo Humannnn." The voice poured through the large beak with minimal difficulty. "Youuu thinkkk thattt becausssssse youuu cannnn killl sooo manyyyy thattt youuu arrrrre powerfullll?" It released a hiss of distaste. "Youuu arrrre a foolishhhhh humannn. Youuu cannnn acomplishhhh nothinggggg. Myyyy masterrrr willll provvvve thattttt veryyy soonnnn."

"How soon?" Sora asked the creature. The Crusader's gold eyes narrowed.

"Veryyyy." With that last word it screamed. But this was a sound so unlike any that Sora, or the others, had ever heard before. It made their ears ache, and the Town trembled. The winged Heartless insignia on its chest glowed and suddenly _shattered_ with the sound of breaking glass. And, like breaking glass, the Heartless shattered too.

There was a moment of utter silence, and everyone's eyes were wide with shock at what they'd witnessed: the Crusader's speech, and the following self-termination.

"Well. What am I supposed to say to that?" Sora whispered into the eerie silence. "What is one supposed to say, when a shadow commits suicide?"

"Simple. You wait for the one who cast the shadow, and see what they're going to do about it." Ansem responded. Sora nodded slowly. Suddenly his eyes grew wide and he let out a howl of pain, falling into a crumpled form on the ground.

"SORA!" Riku shouted, rushing to his friend. It was then that the rest of the Heartless struck. Swarming towards the unprepared group. As Riku rushed to the side of the Key bearer, Cloud, Leon, Ansem, and the others all fought the Heartless remaining. Compared to the Crusaders, it was like mowing the lawn.

The silver-haired boy could only look on in horror as the exercising of Hallowed Crystal took its toll on the younger man. Sora whimpered and trembled, pain obviously washing over him like water. The black stain on Sora's hair was spreading; closer and closer to his scalp, until the entire of the spikes in his hair were ominously ebon. The trembling died down and Sora was left, curled up in a ball, heaving for breath.

Riku bent next to him and out a cautious hand on his shoulder, afraid of injuring him any more. "Sora?" He whispered. "Are you alright? Do you need me to help you get up?"

"Sure Riku." The blue-eyed warrior agreed with a relieved sigh as the pain passed. "Just, let me rest for a minute…"

"Anything." Riku agreed, tail wagging, happy almost beyond words that his friend was in one piece. Sora rolled over on the ground slowly so he was on his back; his head turned to face his friend.

"You weren't hurt were you?" Sora asked, eyes still a little unfocused from Hallowed Crystal's staining.

"Me? Not a scratch! You were the one who did all of the real fighting." Riku smiled softly. "I see what you meant though. None of us were able to put a dent in those Crusaders other then you. You were the one who did all the work."

"Not true." Sora grinned, one of his face-stretching, eye-crinkling, smiles that were almost non-existent these days. "Without all your help, it would've been only me against eleven Crusaders, and all the other Heartless." They both looked on for a moment at the others who were quickly making short work of the other shadows.

"You'd have been able to do it." Riku assured, pausing for a moment to aid his friend as he tried to sit up, only to lean heavily on the silver-haired boy, much as he had beck in Traverse Town. Sora managed a hollow chuckle.

"Thanks Riku, but we both know you're lying."

"Yeah, but it was pretty inspiring, wasn't it?" He asked with a joking smirk-smile.

"That it was." Sora giggled lightly as he played along. "I feel like I could take on a hundred Crusaders and a thousand lesser Heartless."

"It wasn't _that _inspiring. Jeez, don't get carried away." Riku grumbled in mock-irritation. There was a moment of quiet punctuated by the battle in the background, before the two friends dissolved into a bout of quiet laughter.

Behind them, the battle was suddenly concluded when, surprisingly enough, Jack Skellington, apparently having gotten tired of waiting around for them to finish the battle, emerged from his house and with a few broad sweeps of his bony arms, cleared the area of the remaining Heartless.

"Well that was anticlimactic." Ansem muttered.

"Hey there Jack." Sora greeted from within Riku's grip.

"Sora! Are you alright? You're looking a little under the weather." The dead man asked concernedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Riku gave him a sharp look. "Or I will be at any rate. Listen Jack, I hope you don't mind if we hang around for a while longer do you?"

"No." The skeleton grinned happily. "I'll go make some arrangements for a place for you to stay." With that, the pumpkin King exited as quickly as he'd entered.

"That was kinda weird…" Cid pointed out.

"Why would we need to stay?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah!" Yuffie agreed. "We defeated all of the Heartless!"

"You're forgetting one thing." Sora said with a sigh, relaxing further in to Riku's embrace. "The Heartless of this new era of darkness, always attack the same way. They send one wave of lesser shadows, followed by a second round of fewer, but far more powerful Heartless. If the first wave this time was made of both lesser and greater Heartless, then what on earth is the second wave going to contain?"

A/N: Sorry that's the end of Chapter18! Have patience and wait for then next one! We're almost to some serious plot now! Next Chapter: Meet the villain!


	19. Chapter the 19th

A/N: And this is Chapter 19. Okay…this is how it's felt to be Cliched Oxymoron for the past week: You can't stop coughing, either thick phlegm-y coughs or dry painful ones that leave your throat raw and burning. Your nose is so clogged and swollen it feels like someone glued a block of concrete to your face, but it manages to make itself a paradox in that it simultaneously runs a mile a minute. You have a sinus headache that is so mind-shatteringly painful that it feels like someone's driving knives into your skull. You have no appetite so you haven't eaten anything in days and your throat is so sore from the coughing anything you drink leaves it feeling burned. And that is why I haven't updated sooner. Sorry I thought I was dying. On a happier note: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa (sp?), or have a wonderful time with whatever it is you celebrate. And if you're an atheist who isn't celebrating anything: have one helluva time anyway! WARNING: Preceeding this chapter is a _really_ stupid parody of _Jingle Bells _(as told by Sephiroth) I wrote like a year ago, so please forgive the utter wrong-ness of it. Considering everyone probably writes something like this sooner or later…Thought you people might get a kick out of it if nothing else.

Splashing in the lifestream,

In The Planet's core,

Wishing for some ice cream,

This place is such a bore!

Ha ha ha!

Meteor just burned out,

And JENOVA's not… all right…

Midgar's toppled over and out,

And AVALANCHE killed me last night!

OH!

Jingle bells! Cloud really smells!

Cait Sith is a nut!

Their Chocobo, went loco,

And Red is stuck in a rut!

Jingle bells! Barret yells,

Cid does nothing but curse!

Aeris died and everyone cried,

While I just made it worse!

And that just utterly proved I have no song writing skills. Oh well, it kept me amused for a while. OMFG Are any of you familiar with a music group called the Trans Siberian Orchestra? I just saw them in concert and it so totally kicked ass! I'm so deliriously happy that i saw it and utterly depressed that it's over! If you aren't familiar with them then they're infinitely worth checking out! And now to the main event: The Villain! Dun dun dun!

Review Responses:

**_Haro-Haro_**- Hello again! Here's the next chapter! I'm glad you find this interesting, 'cause I think it's just crazy… The ending made you curious? Well, go on and find out what happens!

**_Nikore Strife_**- Coley right? Or maybe not... zOMG my mind is mushiness! Glad you approved of the fight scene as it was soooo much fun to write, excellent stress relief. Of course Jack came in! Can't be in Halloween Town without him! It'd be like an egg with no shell!

**_K_**- Yo! Glad you're enjoying yourself! That is the point after all!

**_Xeora_**-OMG You live! So you catch fish with cheese bait? Maybe that's why I never catch anything…J Not my other arm! Do you want to reduce me to writing with bloody stumps?

**_Phantom Fox_**- I'm happy you approved of the action scene as it was long past due. How many times can Sora use the attack? Limitless, he can only use the Hallowed Crystal Key chain as a whole once more. Thanks for the well wishing in regards to HW, 'cause she just assigned more…

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- I'm happy it was what you needed, and I'm flattered you get so excited when I update! You had a snowball fight? That was what our sledding was reduced to, but it was more 'run-the-person-down-and-rub-snow-in-their-face' Argh! I can't give my History Prof. a dozen rotten eggs! As much work as she gives she's a good teacher! Darn you moral limits!

**_Lil Kitty_**- Don't worry about missing one, I updated sooner because of peoples contributions to curing my boredom. Ouch, finals. I hates them lots. J I'm soooo happy this is your favorite! Males me feel all warm and fuzzy! melts into a pile of goo

**_Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac_**- zOMG you live too! Another of my long lost reviewers resurrected! Don't worry about forgetting it, the important thing is you're here now!

**_Yamibakeru_**- glad you like the fight scene, it was desperately needed. Sora _could_ use a fruit punch! Hell, _I_ could use a fruit punch… You sure the chapters ending too soon isn't just because they're short? Heh, that was a problem for a while wasn't it? Yes we have snow. It's cold and miserable and I don't like it much. Pretty to look at, uncomfortable to be in. Your internet was down for a week? I would've died! I actually love History, I just hate doing the work that comes with it…

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last Time: **"You're forgetting one thing." Sora said with a sigh, relaxing further in to Riku's embrace. "The Heartless of this new era of darkness, always attack the same way. They send one wave of lesser shadows, followed by a second round of fewer, but far more powerful Heartless. If the first wave this time was made of both lesser and greater Heartless, then what on earth is the second wave going to contain?"**

It had been two days, two long, dull days since the Massive Heartless invasion on Halloween Town. Forty-eight hours since there had been any sign of the shadows. Sora had never had such a mix of emotions within him. Being both so anxious you feel ill and so bored you feel weighted down were an unusual combination indeed.

Everyone else, well everyone except Ansem, Eclipse and Riku was mostly just bored out of their skulls. Ansem and Eclipse knew how tense the situation actually was, and Riku was worried for his friend.

Sora wasn't blind, he'd seen the extent of the stain present on his hair, and knew what it meant. He'd only be able to use the Hallowed Crystal once more without being consumed. Strange thing was he still wasn't sure if it was the darkness or the light that he should fear.

Sora sighed and looked out across the pumpkin patch from where he sat, which was atop the Spiral Hill just outside Halloween Town. There was a soft snore next to him and he glanced down with a soft smile at his companion.

Riku hadn't left his side for an instant since the Heartless had invaded, going as far as to watch over him at night without sleeping, which was probably the reason he was napping with his head falling onto Sora's shoulder.

Sora was no longer worried that Riku might never return his affections, as he was rather certain, resignedly so, to the fact that he might not live long enough to enjoy a relationship if one could even be had. And if Riku did love him back? He wasn't selfish enough to be his friend's lover only to die not long later, leaving him alone and grieving.

Sora shook his head, trying to will away such dark thoughts. He hadn't seen the strange man he's seen before the Heartless attacked, and for some reason, that bothered him. The man had given him a familiar feeling. Not familiar as they'd met before, but familiar as he was like someone he knew…

Riku mumbled and stirred, his eyes fluttering open. "Good morning." He yawned, leaning away from Sora's shoulder.

"Good afternoon." The brunet corrected, smiling softly.

"Really? Wow, I must've been more exhausted then I thought."

"That's what happens when you stay up all night. Honestly, it's not like I'm going to disappear on you." Riku paled at Sora's statement.

"You, ah… Know I've been watching out for you at night?" He was very embarrassed to say the least. Sora grinned.

"Yep, don't worry though, I find it very flattering my safety means that much to you." Riku sighed with relief hearing this.

"Good, I was worried you'd be kinda freaked out…" The silver-haired young man trailed off.

**_"Keyblade master?" _**Eclipse's voice questioned suddenly. Riku jolted.

"Hey! I can hear him now!" He exclaimed.

**_"As I've spoken aloud to you all before when we first arrived in this world, I see no reason to hold my silence now."_** Eclipse explained.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked.

_**"There's something coming. And it's coming very fast."**_

"How fast?" Riku wondered.

_**"It will be here in less then ten minutes."**_

"Good or bad?" Sora's response was another question. Eclipse sighed.

**_"We don't know. It feels as the Heartless do, but at the same time it's unlike anything we've dealt with before… Oh! You'd better hurry, Ansem's getting agitated and I still have to call the rest of the group."_** With that the guardian's telepathy was gone. Not wasting time or words, the two teenagers stood without saying anything and swiftly jogged to the plaza, where they found Ansem pacing.

"Alright Darkness obsessed, what's up?" Sora asked solemnly.

"I'd love to answer you, but as I don't know myself, I'm not sure how accurate my reply would be!" The former Heartless master exclaimed. He beckoned with one gloved hand, and with the other he indicated to a map of the worlds between Hollow Bastion and Agrabah. This map though, unlike the flat one they'd used in the Library back at Hollow Bastion, was three dimensional.

"The shining white orbs are other worlds, the flashing one is our current position. The smaller flashing red ball is the enemy, or what we assume is an enemy." Was the quick synopsis of the projection given to them.

"What's that feeling?" Riku asked taking a closer look at the flashing red shape.

"Don't know. But it's coming from whatever is heading towards us." Ansem said sternly.

"Alright! What's goin' on!" All heads turned to see Cid, the one who'd spoken, and the rest of their party approaching.

"Something's coming, but we're not sure if they're of the darkness or something else." Sora told them shortly. "The feeling you sense when you're closer to the map is the presence of the newcomer."

Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but fell silent when Vincent suddenly approached the map with a degree of urgency.

"You said this presence is coming here?" He asked softly.

"Yeah." Sora repeated. "Do you know what it is?"

"Of course. I'm surprised Strife, Yuffie, Highwind, and Aeris doesn't know as well." He responded.

"Alright Vinnie, spill." Yuffie told him crossly.

"It's much fainter in this feeling then when we last met, but there's no mistaking it. I'd never mistake this presence for anything." He continued softly.

"_Vinnie!"_ Yuffie demanded. Closing his blood-red eyes in resignation, he uttered the few words that had everyone filled with a sense of approaching dread:

"It's J E N O V A."

"Oh, light forbid _NO!"_ Sora breathed. "You mean we have ten minutes to prepare to face whoever it is that's controlling the darkness? The one that can make something as powerful as the Crusaders!"

"It was inevitable that we'd meet eventually." Ansem admitted. "But I was hoping we'd have more time to prepare. Less then ten minutes won't do us any good."

"Then what are we supposed to do!" Riku demanded. "How do we fight them?"

"We don't." Ansem responded quietly.

"What?" Riku demanded.

"We don't fight, we can't fight." He shook his head. "In this battle we're useless and Sora is inadequately prepared. This is a futile move. There's nothing to be done."

"There has to be something!" Cloud demanded. Ansem nodded.

"This may not been an offensive mission from whoever has the aid of J E N O V A. If we're lucky, _extremely_ lucky, then they may not be coming with the purpose of battling us."

"What else would they come here for?" Sora asked idly, chewing on his thumbnail.

"Considering our situation… I really can't say." Ansem shrugged.

"You don't know or you can't say?" Riku question shrewdly.

"Pick one." Ansem replied uncaringly.

"Either way we're screwed." Yuffie muttered.

"Stop arguing you guys." Sora demanded. "We're down to five minutes. Any last minute bright ideas?"

"Nope." Ansem shrugged again. Sora sighed resignedly.

"Well then it figures." He muttered.

"What figures?" Riku asked, worried about his friend's demeanor.

"I refuse to go down without a fight." Sora stated defiantly. "But if this person has the power to make Crusaders, something I already struggle to battle now, then the only slim chance that I even have is to use…" He trailed off as realization dawned in the eyes of his companions.

"NO!" Riku refused violently, shaking his head with force. "You _just_ used the Hallowed Crystal! You can't possibly be thinking of using it again!"

"I'm with Riku, Sora." Ansem said sighing. "You've never had to wield it with so little time between uses. You only have one safe battle with it left correct?" Sora nodded. "What if it pushes you straight to oblivion?"

"Then that's just something I'll have to deal with." The Key bearer spoke softly, with a hard tone.

"No." Everyone looked at Riku who had spoken. His eyes were down cast looking at the ground, silver hair falling into his face. His hands were clenched into fists, and his knuckles were pale white. "You can't Sora. What will happen to the rest of us if you disappear? Wait for the next Keyblade master? How long will that take? And besides, I know the others were already involved in the war with the Heartless when you met them, but what about me? The only reason I bother to go on with this is to be with you! If you die then…" His voice was breaking as he tried to contain his overwhelming emotion, and his whole body was trembling now. "If you die the I have no reason to live either! My only purpose these days is to fight the Heartless! The only justification I have for that reason is you!"

Sora didn't know what to say in the face of his friend's out burst. He'd never known Riku felt so lost without him. "Riku, I-"

Darkness blew violently throughout the plaza with a force so powerful it sent the group sprawling. Everyone jumped to his or her feet in time to witness a hoard of Heartless, twice the number of the one they'd faced days ago, fill the area. They swarmed over the ground, crawled over the contours of the barriers, and climbed over the planes of the buildings. There were innumerable smaller Heartless, and fifteen looming Crusaders. None of the shadows made any moves towards them, the shuffled amongst themselves, and scurried about, never coming within thirty feet of the group, which had since formed a circle to face the enemy on all sides.

Even the mighty Crusaders were idle. They fluttered their massive wings, and their thick necks swiveled their heads to study the area, but they showed no signs of moving.

"What are they doing?" Sora asked, nervous and aggravated. "Why aren't they attacking us?"

"Well that, young boy," A new voice commented "Would be because I have not ordered them to." Sora's group spun around to face the speaker.

Sitting astride a Behemoth, amidst the Crusaders was what looked to be a twenty-something year old woman. She was medium height, with straight sable hair that fell to her hips. Her eyes, though normal in appearance, were Heartless yellow, and contained the same calm madness Ansem's once had. She was dressed in a long skirt, cut for combat allowing her absolute freedom of movement. It was mostly black with violet highlights, bound with many straps and buckles, and the telltale modified Heartless insignia emblazoned over her chest. Sora noted there was a pair of heavy manacles on her wrists and ankles, also bearing the double winged Heartless emblem.

"And you would be?" Sora asked, cautiously, knowing already there was no safe answer.

"I'm the one you've been waiting for and searching out. However, since you couldn't find me I finally came to you." The woman looked around for a moment. "Where are they I wonder? I sensed all of you were here, but I sensed two others as well. Where would they be?"

"Two others?" Sora questioned, oblivious to Ansem's sudden tension.

"Ah, so you don't know then Keyblade master? Well, you are quite ill prepared. And I was hoping there'd at least be a challenge."

"I don't get what you're saying lady!" Riku yelled. "Just who the heck are you anyway?"

"I second that question!" Sora shouted in response, glaring a most fearsome expression not often seen on his face.

"My name is Atosaki. I am the one in charge of the Heartless now. The King of Hearts gave up his role as the master of the Darkness and the King of Clubs wasn't strong enough to keep mastery of it. Isn't that right Ansem?" She smiled with poisoned sweetness to the orange-eyed man, whose countenance was so angry he looked ready and waiting for bloodshed.

"King of Hearts? King of Clubs? Lady I don't know _what_ you're talking about, but you've got all of ten seconds to start making sense." Sora spoke harshly in a no-nonsense tone. He was, Riku noted, asserting his position as the master of the great Key; a position most would take note of.

"Oh this is _funny!_" Atosaki smirked. "You have no real clue as to what exactly is going on do you? And here I thought Ansem would take better care of his little would-be pupil."

"Unless you have something useful to say, _silence yourself!_" Ansem demanded in the same tone Sora had.

"Believe me, I have _much _to say." She said grinning. "The first thing is that I won't fight you here. If my beloved Crusaders are at a slight disadvantage then where's the fun in that? I'll be waiting for you in twenty-four hours at a world called Eye of the Storm. Ansem will know where it is even if you've never heard of it. The second thing is that if you don't take up my invitation then I'll hunt you down and kill you and your friends. You may be no challenge, but I want the Keyblade master dead, and out of my way before I try and push the conquest of the Darkness along."

"How responsible of you." Sora muttered dryly with a great deal of sarcasm. "I'm so glad you've thought this through." His glare returned. "I'll do it." He stated to the gasps and protests of horror and surprise from his group. "But you have to answer one question."

"Alright Key master, one question is a fair exchange for your life." Atosaki replied easily with a humorless smile.

"We found out about your trick. Infusing yourself with J E N O V A cells to gain the power to control the Darkness. You should know that doing something so foolish will only get you killed in the end. My question is this: why would you do something so stupid and completely destroy your entire life? Your entire future. The mad and insane are not born, they are created through a series of trials in their life they are unable to overcome. What exactly created you?"

No one spoke for a moment, taken aback by the sheer depth of his question. Not even Atosaki answered immediately, regarding the Key-bearing brunet with a calculating glare. Suddenly her lips cracked a delirious smile and she cackled wildly as if amused by some hysterical turn of events.

"My motivation! _That's _what you want to know?" She chuckled a bit more before responding. "Let me answer your question with a few of my own! What does a normal person want hmm? Maybe they want happiness, power, love, strength, wisdom, kindness, friendship, or acceptance? And what do you think someone who's never had _any_ of those things would do for them? Sell their soul to a horde of life-sucking shadows? Infuse their body with the genes of a horrible mind-eating monster? _Kill and conquer everything regardless of prejudice?" _She stayed silent for a moment after that defining statement. "Maybe I would." She finished.

"That's not your whole reason." Ansem said knowingly.

"Perhaps." Atosaki shrugged. "But you'll never know."

"The Darkness can't give you any of those things!" Riku burst out. "I know! I once thought they could! They won't give you what you want!" Ansem nodded in agreement, also knowing where the boy's argument came from.

"That's where you're wrong." The female Heartless-master replied. "The shadows will destroy everything as I want it to happen, and they will consume me as they have everything else. They will not judge me. They will destroy me without bias! _They will not judge me!_" She relapsed into cackles again.

Suddenly she cried out in pain and clutched her abdomen. The Heartless around her sensed their master's distress and fidgeted nervously. She groaned under some extreme agony, her body trying to curl up into itself as some form of pain wracked it from the inside.

"Something's harming her, both mind and body." Vincent stated softly. "J E N O V A is waking."

"What on earth is _that_ supposed to mean?" Sora hissed at the red-eyed man. Whatever the gunman would've said was cut off as Atosaki spoke again.

"It seems I'll have to depart a little earlier then expected." She ground out, obviously still hurting. "You'd better be there at the Eye of the Storm at the right time or I will hold to that promise. But I want you to know one thing: I won't fight you as stated, but I can't really speak for the Heartless now can I?" With a snap of her fingers, all the Heartless started their advance on the group. Atosaki herself jumped to the back of a Crusader that bore her up to her Gummi ship. The transport vehicle promptly blasted out of the atmosphere once she was aboard. The Crusader she'd ridden returned to the rest of its number.

"Well, I'm not really sure if this could be much worse." Ansem stated dryly, as the mass of Heartless advanced towards the group in a circle.

"Ansem, shut up." Sora ground out.

A/N: So Chapter 19 is over…Sorry. I'll try and update more on schedule now…

Atosaki (Japanese) Consequence


	20. Chapter the 20th

A/N: Well I hope you all had a lovely holiday! I personally did! Testament to that is the TV blaring Princess Mononoke about ten inches to the right of my monitor! So I'm very distracted right now, forgive any errors in the A/N's… And this chapter is late…again…Sorry, you'd think I'd be getting better at this not worse. Responsible factors are an impromptu ten hour trip, and zOMG! Another giant History paper where I read a four hundred page book in about a week. I didn't get online much then…On the plus side, a relative of mine just got back from a 2+ year stint in Zambia through the Peace Corps, so seeing him over the holidays was really great. LOL he has dreadlocks! Anyhow, you've all been waiting so here it is! The Twentieth chapter of Padlock and Locksmith!

Review Responses:

**_Phantom Fox_**- JENOVA cells certainly are bad! I'd say poor Atosaki but she's the villain so I don't care. Your 'method' of review was great, kept me entertain for a while and certainly made things interesting! Unfortunately this chapter doesn't answer all those questions!

**_Xeora_**- I'm glad you're excited about the fight but would you PLEASE stop putting that salt on my arm? It burns when it gets into your teeth marks.

**_Boogiepop Reborn_**- You are the only person I know who like JENOVA more then the rest of the FF7 cast… Yes! Ansem so _totally_ PWNs Atosaki! WHOOHOO! ANSEM ROCKS! Ahem… Jeez, what happened? Wasn't a fangirl before… Like you and Patty! LOL chicken paste! And no, Atosaki and Anse will never be having a child, much less one named 'Sephtaro.'

**_Lil Kitty_**- Glad you're enjoying yourself! I aim to please! Aww! You were sick too! CURSE YOU HORRIBLE VIRUSES OF THE WORLD! So you're under a new username? I'll try and guess but it won't be right!

**_Yamibakeru_**- Yeah it was short…Sorry…You r0x0rz b0x0rz too! I dunno. Gasp! You're right! How dare Atosaki steal mother! I'm glad you thought my song was entertaining. If it failed to be that then it was truly without purpose in life.

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- Yeah, sickness sucks. Thanks for Sora and Riku! (Has them tied together in a corner where they're happily making out.) Gasp was that almost a confession from Riku? Guess we'll never know! OMG Atosaki looks like your mom? Jeez, I'm soooooo sorry! As for Sora and Riku…sigh…it probably won't be soon, but I'll make it very worthwhile when they do get there. Sorry, but I promise it _will_ happen!

**_Nikore Strife_**- Yo, the cold was bad but it's over now! Yeah, me and my cliffies, get used to it. :) Yep and Riku's gonna be doing a lot more worrying by the time this thing is over! No I haven't seen the KH2 intro! I'm jealous!

**_Shi no Yume_**- Well, hello! Glad you're reading and enjoying it! As for RikuxSora action… Well that's the million dollar question it seems… Yes there will be much, much, RikuxSora love… But no for a while yet. Sorry. We will get there! Please be patient!

**_Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodisiac_**- Of course I missed you! I'm glad you think this is wonderful, I think it's a mess! The best is yet to come!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last Time: **"It seems I'll have to depart a little earlier then expected." She ground out, obviously still hurting. "You'd better be there at the Eye of the Storm at the right time or I will hold to that promise. But I want you to know one thing: I won't fight you as stated, but I can't really speak for the Heartless now can I?" With a snap of her fingers, all the Heartless started their advance on the group. Atosaki herself jumped to the back of a Crusader that bore her up to her Gummi ship. The transport vehicle promptly blasted out of the atmosphere once she was aboard. The Crusader she'd ridden returned to the rest of its number.**

**"Well, I'm not really sure if this could be much worse." Ansem stated dry, as the mass of Heartless advanced towards the group in a circle.**

**"Ansem, shut up." Sora ground out.**

"Well if you have any brilliant ideas…" Ansem bit back at him.

"_Why_ are the two of you arguing now?" Cloud wondered exasperatedly. "We do have much bigger fish to fry." The Heartless drew ever closer and the group began to press into itself, their circle shrinking.

"I'm going to have to use it." Sora stated blandly.

"_No!_" Riku hissed. "There's got to be another way around this-!"

"Riku! There are fifteen Crusaders and several armies' worth of weaker Heartless! Not to mention the Behemoth that Atosaki chick came riding on!" Sora responded urgently. "Besides, the Keyblade may be consuming me, but it is _my_ Keyblade. If I can't master the damn thing then who can?" No one really had an answer for this. "As I thought." Sora stated with finality, withdrawing The Hallowed Crystal Key chain and made to replace Shadow Banisher. Riku seized his arm.

"I know you know I think this is ridiculous." The silver-haired teen began. "But if I can't stop you then for _Light's _sakebe _careful!_" Sora grinned cheekily at his friend.

"I said I'd never leave you didn't I? I'll keep my promise!" The brunet assured, before going on in a joking manner. "I made the mistake of letting you out of my sight once before and look what happened! I'm never doing that again!" Riku reddened slightly at Sora's words.

"Uh guys? As nice as it is that you're having a moment, these things are about to eat us!" Yuffie yelled, obviously irritated at them. Sora rolled his eyes.

"Fine then!" And in a single deft move, unhooked Banisher and replaced it with the Key chain that was slowly dooming his soul.

The minute Hallowed Crystal was attached everyone immediately knew something was very, very, wrong. The Key master clutched his chest with the hand that wasn't holding the Keyblade and gasped deeply for air, not seeming to be able to breathe. His eyes became glazed and hazy as if he wasn't really able to see anything.

"Sora!" Riku cried shaking the younger teen's shoulder lightly. "What's wrong? Sora!"

"R-Ri…ku." His voice was soft and strangled. "I-it… hurts…I…I…can't…" Meanwhile Cloud, Leon, Cid, Yuffie and Vincent had begun to kill all the Heartless closest to them, as they were now nearly on top of them. Aeris stood ready with Healing spells and Ansem levitated with Eclipse over the group, deflecting any attacks the risked hitting them.

"Sora?" Riku's voice held a great amount of fear. "_Please_ Sora what's wrong?"

"I…It's…too…m-much…I…can't…" Sora wheezed some more, now leaning heavily on his friend. "I-I…can't…s-s-stop…it…" Sora's body suddenly convulsed and Riku gave a sharp cry of fright and alarm. "I-I-I…can't…h-hold…it…in…any…more…" Sora's crumpled, but still standing body suddenly jerked fully upright and rigid as a board.

"Ri…ku…" He whispered, almost sounding scared. "Run…Ri…ku…" Ansem's eyes widened in realization, and he dropped to the ground, pulling Eclipse with him.

_"Everybody get down!"_ He shouted and Eclipse aided by knocking everyone off his or her feet. Ansem pushed his body flat on the ground and seemingly braced himself. Not doubting the former Heartless master, everyone immediately followed suit. Riku couldn't take his eyes off Sora from his position on the ground.

The Key master's stiff form was now pulsating with power, and energy lashed off of him in whip-like waves. The Heartless shied back, trying to get away from the source of this magnificent ability.

Sora wasn't on the ground anymore; he was floating several feet above it. There was a shrill, sharp sound accompanying every wave of energy that lashed off of Sora's body.

"_Great Light_," Leon breathed suddenly, whether in wonder or alarm nobody could be sure. "Look at what's happening to the Keyblade."

Something drastic indeed was happening to the Hallowed Crystal. It was almost electrified it had so much raw power running through it, testament given by the burns that were spreading over Sora's hands and wrists. Riku cried out and tried to rise to help the Keyblade master, only to have Cloud and Cid hold him down firmly.

"SORA!" He shouted fighting to get to his feet despite the two grown men practically on top of him to get him to lie still.

"You can't help him!" Ansem shouted at the rebelling teen over the immense noise. "No one can help him now! You have to let Hallowed Crystal have its way and finish! Until it exhausts itself there's no way you'll be able to lay a hand on him with getting it burned off!"

The Keyblade and Key master were glowing and pulsing faster now, Hallowed Crystal was vibrating so much it looked as though it was bending back and forth. Light started to leak from Sora's eyes and mouth, both looking as though they were fed from a vast source of light somewhere deep with the teen. The pitch of the noise coming from the young man and the Keyblade was so high that a few of the Shadow Heartless burst into flecks of Darkness and were no more. Sora's entire body glowed brightly until it was white seeming to reach the pinnacle of whatever was going on-.

_"Everybody get as close to the ground as you can!"_ Ansem ordered and Eclipse covered the group on the ground under and around the incomplete Keyblade master with a blanket of dark energy, concealing them from whatever was about to take place.

Suddenly all the power in and around Sora and his Key _erupted_, emanating violently from the teen and filling all corners of the plaza. In that moment, the entire world of Halloween Town was ablaze with undiluted, blinding light. A light so great the no one had ever seen it's equal before. Every single shadow was utterly obliterated in that instant, not even the smallest speck of Darkness left.

Eclipse's power dissipated and the group stood shakily, having felt Sora's power from under the Guardian's protection. Riku was on his feet immediately searching frantically for his friend.

"Sora! Sora!" He called. His head, still wolf-like with his Halloween disguise, whipped around looking for the one he loved.

"Quiet Riku. He's there." Ansem shushed the panicked young man. The silver-haired teen looked to where the platinum-haired man had gestured and saw that while they had been under Eclipse's spell, Sora had levitated to almost twenty feet in the air, and he was slowly descending. Riku made an urgent, nervous sound and positioned himself under where Sora would settle.

The younger brunet floated down gently and landed softly in Riku's outstretched arms like something out of a romance film. Even when the Key master's full weight settled in Riku's embrace, he felt like he was far too light. Sora was alive, unconscious but alive. The turquoise-eyed young man fell to his knees in relief, still clutching Sora bridal style.

"Oh thank Light!" He exclaimed with delirious, exhausted, relief. "I was scared he might've been…" Suddenly Riku's panicked cry brought back the focus to the matter at hand.

"His hair! He's… Look-!" The older teen was obviously panicked and worried for his dear friend, and one glance was enough to say why. Sora's hair, once a pure cinnamon color, was now utterly and completely black. From the roots to the tips there was no trace of his old color left at all. Ansem sighed.

"That's it. He can no longer use the Hallowed Crystal safely. Even attaching it to the Keyblade again will result his consumption by the Light or the Darkness."

"And he still has to fight Atosaki." Yuffie pointed out mournfully. Vincent shushed her with a sharp look.

"What are we supposed to do!" Riku sounded almost frantic. "If he can't use his most powerful Keyblade and he has to fight this…this…_stupid bitch_ whose controlling all the Heartless. -"

"Calm down boy, your having a panic attack." Cid set a heavy hand on Riku's shoulder. "Shut up and breathe for a moment." The silver haired teen complied and gasped in lung fulls, still clutching the unconscious brunet to his body. As Cid was helping the teenager calm down, Leon turned to Ansem.

"What exactly happened back there?" He questioned tonelessly.

"Yeah!" Cloud interjected. "Whenever the Sora used that Keyblade before there was never such an extreme reaction!" Ansem sighed.

"Please." A soft, choked voice got their attention. Everyone faced Riku, still kneeling on the ground, and still holding onto Sora gently with infinite care, but like the younger teen's frail body was his last lifeline. "I know you withhold information sometimes. But please! I don't know what secret you're trying to keep but please! If it will help us find someway to help Sora please tell us!" Riku was begging and his knew it. He'd never felt so low, pleading at the man who'd once possessed him for help. _Whatever it takes to save Sora._ He vowed silently to himself.

"As you wish." Ansem responded quietly. "But you won't like it." He drew a long breath before sighing again. "I really don't know as much in this area as Riku here seems to think I do. What I do know was what happened with Hallowed Crystal there at the end."

"What?" Yuffie asked apprehensively, her tone summing up the feelings on the entire group.

"When a Keyblade master has an over abundance of either Light or Darkness, whenever he uses the Key representing overflowing part of his soul all the extra energy is released, quite violently. It does damage to the surrounding area," Ansem indicated Halloween Town plaza, which was indeed very damaged "his enemies," He waved his hand absently indicating the lack of Heartless "and himself."

"What?" Riku panicked again. "Oh my-… No…!" He whispered in horror. The group gasped when they saw what Riku was appalled at. Even Leon made a pained grunt. Hideous, scarring burns crisscrossed and spider webbed their way up Sora's arms.

"Aeris can you do anything?" Cid asked; sounding as helpless as everyone felt.

"I can try." The flower girl walked softly over to kneel on the ground in front of Riku. She placed her hands over Sora's scarred arms and murmured "Curaga." Green, healing light flowed over the Keymaster's grievous wounds, slowly stitching together the burned flesh, and making, what was moments ago so damaged, smooth skin again. The light faded and everyone inhaled sharply: the burns were gone, but the scars remained. Riku was almost in tears and held his friend all the tighter.

"Why?"

"I suppose my magic wasn't strong enough." Aeris replied softly. "I'm sorry. There's nothing else I can do."

"One part of your explanation doesn't make sense." Vincent spoke suddenly, addressing Ansem. "You make it sound as though we still don't know if Sora's being consumed by the Light or Darkness. After that display of power there's no way that was Darkness." His red eyes bored into Ansem amber ones.

"But if Sora's really being consumed by the Light then why is his hair turning black?" The former Heartless master countered. No one replied. "The matters of the Keyblade are not black and white like they seem at first. There is more gray area then you realize. More even then I probably know. Just because something looks like light doesn't mean it is. There's no way to tell. We could see it as being light because that's what we associate with the Keyblade master. There are any number of explanations."

"But how in the Hell are we supposed to be able to counter anything the enemy throws at us, if you won't tell us what you _do_ know?" Riku questioned viscously, rising to his feet. "I'm taking Sora back to the Gummi ship. We need to go. Ansem you'd _better_ know where the Hell this 'Eye of the Storm' world is, or I swear on whatever it is you _do_ believe in, you will regret the day you were born!" Riku was practically snarling, as he walked off, still bearing Sora bridal style. Everyone followed after, but not before sending his or her own harsh glares at Ansem.

Finally it was just the former Heartless master and his Guardian in the plaza.

**_"What are you going to do now?"_** Eclipse asked softly, setting his enormous, black hand on his master's shoulder.

"If we live through this next battle… Well then… They deserve to know…"

**_"But master! What will Kagi say? And the other Lords and Ladies! They might-!"_** Ansem silenced his Guardian roughly by smacking the hand off his shoulder.

"I don't care what Kagi says Eclipse! Let him do or say what he wants! If he wants it done his way then _Light damn it_ he can do it himself!" Ansem stalked off a ways towards the Gummi ship leaving a stunned Guardian in his wake. "If we manage to survive this battle," the former Heartless master whispered to himself "then I swear I'll tell them everything."

A/N: And that's all for chapter 20! Didn't think we'd get here did you? Well we did! What's gonna happen to Sora and the rest of the group? Stick around to find out!


	21. Chapter the 21

A/N: Whoohoo! And I'm back! I'm excited for several reasons, first is the update of course! Finally got around to it because (second reason!) my Midterms are over! SWEET! Freedom! Ahem…Anyhow… (Third reason) Friend O' mine downloaded the much-delayed FF7 Advent Children, so hopefully I'm _finally_ get to see that! But… It's here, there's more, never fear, there's much in store! WhooHoo! Rhymes! I'm not gonna bother giving you the whole 'I'm a poet' bit. Well, please read if you're interested as, in my opinion, this is a _very_ important chapter. Lots of new info! Have fun!

Review Responses:

**_Nikore Strife_**- Sorry about the cliffies, but… yeah they probably won't stop. Sorry, they're really easy to do! How could I do that to Sora? Plot is a powerful motivator, this is going somewhere, we'll see. Glad you liked the bit of fluff, Riku's gonna have a difficult time of things in chapters to come.

**_Shadow1Flame_**- Why, Hello! Don't worry I'm not _ever_ losing interest in this thing! Not till it's finished! Never fear! Ah! Another Princess Mononoke fan! Excellent! I love Miyazaki! As for Naruto…Not so much. Kinda hard to take it seriously when your friends with an avid Naruto-hater like Boogipop…Sorry.

**_Phantom Fox_**- Yes, Sora's got scars, poor thing, and yes, he cannot use Hallowed Crystal anymore. However… Grins like a maniac You've have no idea how pleased I am with you right now! You're guess on Hallowed Crystal was _so close!_ But not quite there. Almost! Think obvious body functions! (Not gross ones though) We'll get there though! Don't worry, all shall be revealed in good time!

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- Yep, poor Sora and Riku. They've been through Hell and back, and by the time I'm through with them, they'll have been a lot father. Riku thanks you for the hug, he needed one too. Glad you think it's fantastic, though I can hardly believed you cried. Personally I thought it was kinda hollow, but I'm utterly flattered nonetheless! I'll keep that promise! I'm looking forward to it almost as much as you are! And I'd say you could have them back anyway but… (Points to corner where things have escalated considerably beyond making-out.) Good luck prying them apart. hands over crowbar

**_Boogipop Reborn_**- Yeah it's a cliffhanger, get used to it! There will be more Jenova, in this chapter, sorta, never fear about that! Ansem x Eclipse… Never thought this weird pairing would get me so involved… AND I WANNA SEE ADVENT CHILDREN! GRRR! I HATE YOU!

**_Xeora_**- O.O Mysteries! Twilight Zone music is playing Sorry, kinda wired right now. OH! Whipped Cream! Eats whipped cream

**_K_**- Yo! Straight to the point as always! Glad you think it's awesome! 'Tis quite the ego boost!

**_Yamibakeru_**- Please, please, _please_ don't take this the wrong way, but… OMG! A review without constructive criticism! I think I can die happy! all smiles When my biggest and most beloved critic has nothing to say of improvement… I'm so happy! Not sure it was 'Wrath of God' cool, but it was nice to hear you thought so! So you're a Jenova fan too? Jeez, I can't make fun of her anymore! (No I'm not insulting the Mother! Wouldn't even dare!) Don't worry about late reviews, I'm happy you bother in the first place. Oh man, do I know about over loaded school work. I feel you pain, really I do.

**_XoXSoras-AngelXoX_**- Okay, going out on a limb here, but…Lil Kitty? Maybe? Or am I out to lunch? Poor Sora indeed! So you can't imagine him with black hair? Don't worry, neither can I! Hey maybe it won't last long! winks I'm happy you think I'm a good writer, and I'm flattered you think I should be a novelist. It's hopefully my career of choice, but let's just see if I can finish this first! Hey, if I ever do publish, you'll be the first to know!

**_Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodisiac_**- Look, don't worry about late reviews. I'm just happy you bother to respond at all. Seriously. Besides, sleeping is a good reason! Gotta love sleep! I'm always willing to give more, if you're willing to stick around and read it!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Riku's slender hand combed gently through the sable locks of his dear and beloved friend. Sora was still unconscious and showed no signs of waking up that soon. The once-brunet's hands, though the burns had been healed, were hideously scarred and as a small gesture of privacy, Riku and Aeris had bandaged his hands, wrists, and arms.

The Gummi ship was currently rocketing through space towards the world known only as the 'Eye of the Storm,' where the duel between Sora and Atosaki was supposed to take place. Riku suppressed a nervous shiver. There was something so seriously twisted about that woman that Riku was dreading this whole ordeal. Deep in his gut he knew something bad was going to take place.

Ansem had wordlessly produced a Navi-G piece just before they had taken off. After Cid installed it the ship had the capacity to travel to this previously unknown world. Eclipse had told them that it was indeed the Eye of the Storm, but instead of trailing after his seemingly troubled master he appeared reluctant to approach the former Heartless ruler, and Ansem didn't make any effort to call his Guard to him. Riku might've been concerned if he didn't have his own problems to worry about.

According to the radar, it would take another eight hours to reach the far off world. Considering they'd been in flight for five hours already that was quite the considerable amount of time. Not nearly the distance Traverse Town was but still…

Sora made an unhappy sound in his sleep as Riku's hand had stopped petting him under the weight of his thoughts. The silver haired teen allowed himself a small smile, his cheeks reddening, and continued to twine his fingers through Sora's hair.

The door to the room slid open and Cloud and Cid (who was trusting the ship grudgingly to auto-pilot) walked in quietly.

"Is he okay?" Cloud asked softly, coming to stand next to Riku. Cid leaned against the wall.

"After what happened what do you think?" Riku questioned darkly.

"Sorry." Cloud amended, sounding slightly ashamed. Riku sighed dejectedly.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. The only one who's really at fault in this whole mess is that Heartless chick and Ansem. Her for being the cause behind this war and Ansem because… _Damn it! _If he knows something why doesn't he tell us?" Riku pounded his fist against his knee for emphasis. Both the blondes were silent for a moment.

"You know," Cid began "if it's any consolation your outburst right before we left Halloween Town seems to have put him in a mood. He isn't saying a word, but considering this whole ship's against him now… Hell, even that Eclipse thing that's always around him is staying clear." Riku sighed.

"Yeah I know." He responded softly. "But is doesn't help. Every moment he holds his silence is only hurting us more. Hurting _Sora_ more." The pilot lit a cigarette and puffed on it for a minute.

"You know Riku, if there's one thing I've learned about Sora in all the time I've known him, it's that his luck is unnaturally good. Things just tend to work out for him. He'll find some way to make this whole mess work out, you'll see." Riku gave the older man a weak but grateful smile. "One the other hand though we have Spiky here who couldn't get out a wet, paper bag based on luck alone, and who can't own up to _anything _to save himself. Least of all his crush on the 'Frosty Lion.'" Cid grumbled glancing at Cloud, Riku nodding amusedly in agreement. The swordsman spent a full minute staring, shocked, at the two of them before…

"What the Hell! Does _everyone_ know about my stupid infatuation with Leon?" He shouted, hands clawing frantically at his hair. Riku chuckled.

"Yes, everyone except Leon. You really should tell him you know."

"That's the pot calling the kettle black!" Cloud retorted. "I _know_ everyone else knows about your affection for Sora! Hell I'd bet Sora himself knows!"

"Don't bank on it." Cid interjected before a red-faced Riku could respond. "Sora's blinder to affection then you and Leon combined, Spiky."

"_Me_ and Leon? What's that supposed to mean?" Cloud shouted at him.

"What's it sound like?" Cid responded just as energetically. Riku grinned softly at the two friends fighting like cats and dogs. This was what Leon found when he walked in. Cloud had never looked more like a strawberry in his life.

"Am I interrupting something?" The gothic swordsman asked coldly.

"Nope!" Cid grinned happily. "I was just leaving."

"Aeris sent me in with this." Leon stated indicating the cool compress and bowl of water he held.

"Great! Cloud will help you!" The pilot volunteered the swordsman as he waked out of the room.

"What?" Cloud yelped.

"Relax, I'll do it." Riku told them and took the bowl and cloth from Leon.

"Okay, now that you've got everything in hand, what are we supposed to do now?" Cloud asked curiously. It was all Riku could to not snicker as he made his next comment:

"I dunno. Go find a dark corner and make-out." The silver haired teen was rather certain that their _deeply_ red faces were sure signs they would explode any minute. Cloud instantly denied it, loudly and vehemently, babbling like a fool, trying to save his severely torn dignity by denying the truth. Leon remained silent; shocked into immobility by this rather out of character and unexpected comment from the younger male.

"I don't have to take this from you!" Cloud finished his tirade and, quick as a flash, shot out of the room. Leon was still standing there. Riku turned back to tending to his friend. The minutes ticked by, and still Leon stood there, same shocked expression on his face.

"You still alive in there?" Riku asked curiously.

"Why would you say something like that?" The gothic swordsman questioned quietly.

"It's true isn't it?" Riku replied. Leon's cheeks became even pinker, if possible.

"Maybe in my case, but not in Cloud's."

"Bullshit."

"He's never showed any indication of being interested in me like that before. And he hasn't now, why should I think so?" Riku sighed at Leon's denial.

"You and I both know Cloud's kinda dense. He thinks exactly what you do: That he won't love you for some defect you think you have, and you're simply too proud and embarrassed to get over it and confess." Leon remained silent for a moment at Riku's observation.

"You and Sora are a lot alike sometimes." He pointed out quietly. "Too smart for your own good."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Riku smiled, setting the damp cloth over the Key master's forehead.

"Cocky Kid." The dark man grumbled.

"Careful." Riku warned playfully. "Or you'll start to sound like Cid does." Leon snorted. He'd turned to exit the room when Riku's question pulled him back.

"How'd you meet? In all the time I've known you I've never asked." The older man was silent for a moment, before responding to the question, possibly the wordiest speech to ever be spoken by the swordsman.

"My world had just been consumed. They: Cloud, Cid, Aeris, and Yuffie, were flying towards Hollow Bastion, looking for a man named Ansem. When they picked me up I was almost dead, and I had no will left to go on. I was but a shell of the man I had been. Everything I knew was darkness now. Aeris healed me though, and saved my miserable life, at first I hated her for it. In the first couple of days I didn't speak a word, ignoring them unless I had to eat. Cloud was always there, kind of watching out for me. He was the first of them that I spoke to.

"After that we reached Hollow Bastion, and it was there, starting a new life that I cast away the man who had been Squall Leonheart, and simply became Leon. Cloud could never look at me the same again. I could see he was saddened by my actions, though I never figured out why. It was soon after that he left, saying something about 'finding' his light.' We didn't see him again for a long, long time.

"It wasn't until Yuffie and I participated in a tournament at Olympus that we finally saw him again. I'll never forget the shock of seeing his profound change for the first time. When we'd met he'd been a very serious individual, always worrying or feeling guilty about something. Now he had a far more lighthearted, joking personality. But then… At the same time he had such a shadow of darkness about him, far greater then my own façade, and far more real. I'd always hoped he'd someday tell me exactly what happened to him during his absence, but other then the admission of losing a battle to Sora, he said nothing." There was a moment of dead silence following his words.

"Have you asked Sora?" Riku wondered. Leon favored him with a questioning stare. The silver-haired teen continued. "Sora defeated him in battle remember? I'm sure you understand the level of comprehension one gains from fighting an enemy. You and Cloud have sparred countless times, but have you ever seriously fought him? Looked into his soul?" Leon didn't say anything again, but seemed to be seriously turning this prospect over in his mind.

"That is… A good thought." Leon replied, relapsing into his short sentences.

"There's just one thing I still don't understand." Riku sighed. "You, Cid, Cloud, Aeris, and even Yuffie claim that Ansem was this very wise man, and he was _the_ person to turn towards for aid. Why?" Leon favored the boy with a curious glance.

"You mean you don't know?" He asked sounding rather surprised.

"Know what?" Riku questioned again.

"Back then, when I arrived in Hollow Bastion for the first time of my life… Ansem was the Keyblade Master."

Atosaki nearly broke down the door to the laboratory, and completely disregarding three of the figures in the room, marched straight for the shadow in the back, surrounded by many beeping machines, steam-hissing containers, and mountains of papers covered in complex algebraic and geometrical equations. The shadows of the room were reacting violently to her distress, and Heartless tried to break through the darkness into the room. However, this room was warded and no Heartless could enter. This may seem to be rather odd in the stronghold of the newest Master of their irreverent existence, but considering the many delicate experiments the scientist in charge of the laboratory had going, a controlled environment was necessary.

Before Atosaki could reach the desired figure, however, another spasm of unthinkable pain wracked her body, and she collapsed to her knees, gasping deeply. Two of the previously ignored beings rushed to her side, while the third glanced over disinterestedly and her target paid no mind at all.

"Lady Atosaki! Are you injured? How can I help?" The first voice questioned hurriedly, the speaker obviously distressed and worried by his master's pain. The voice belonged to a man perhaps in his late twenties, having short sandy blonde hair, focused brown eyes with a yellow gleam, and a medium stature. He wore almost formal-looking apparel, black in color, with long sleeves and though the front stopped above his waist, the back fell into two trailing tails, much like the jacket of a conductor. He wore gray pants that fell over light boots, white dress gloves, and he had the modified version of the Heartless emblem emblazoned on his chest.

The second and far younger of the two hovered nervously, calling an abbreviation of her name. The child-like being was only around four feet in height, having shaggy dark blue hair bound back into a small tail, and he had hazel eyes that almost glowed golden. His clothing was tailored for free movement: sleeveless shirt of an emerald hue, as well as a pair of loose capries of the same color. He to bore a Heartless insignia with two pairs of wings, though his was on the back of his shirt.

"'Saki? What's wrong?" The smaller of the two asked.

"Nothing Engi." She assured through gasps of breath. "I just… need to see… the scientist." She paused a moment and glanced at the uninterested figure standing off to the side. "I see Utagau is here, but where is Nazo?"

"Gone, as usual. He left a few hours before you came back." Engi informed her. She nodded in acceptance, only to have another wave of agony assault her. The worried man immediately went into action.

"Atosaki is hurt! Come and help her!" Her subordinate's shouts were focused on the person who'd totally ignored her when she'd entered. The shadow in the back she'd originally headed for finally looked up, light from a computer monitor reflecting eerily off a pair of glasses. To the nervous man's displeasure, the glasses-wearer laughed.

"Heh heh heh… Trouble in paradise madam?" the scientist asked, a huge and sadistic grin splitting his facial features, rough though they were with a lack-of-light complexion and five o'clock shadow. "Your subordinate seems more worried then you are."

"Hojo you bastard!" The nervous man shouted, anxiety gone as he defended his superior.

"Fukuju! Stand down!" Atosaki ordered her normally apprehensive underling. He did so reluctantly.

"So what is it 'my lady,' that you've come so urgently." The twisted doctor asked.

"What the hell is this thing doing to me!" The woman demanded, standing shakily. "I can feel it trying to control me! Damn you! You said it was dead and that the cells would give me the power I lacked to control the Heartless! _Now what exactly is happening to me!_" Hojo made a disappointed sound.

"Please show some respect. J E N O V A is not an 'it' but rather a 'she.' You should refrain from insulting her like that."

"I don't care what 'she' is! You said she was dead! Why then is she trying to bend me to her will!" Atosaki demanded. The doctor made another noise of disappointment.

"Surely you've realized by now? No? Well then it's very simple: she has chosen you to be her new host, and thus is now waking up."

"_What?" _Both the young woman and her anxious subordinate demanded.

"I knew she'd choose one of you to be her new shell, but I wasn't sure which one. That's why I implanted all of you with J E N O V A cells."

"But you said it would give us the power over the Darkness!" Fukuju declared angrily, standing between his master and Hojo.

"And so it has. Though the rest of you really needn't fear, if J E N O V A's chosen Atosaki then your safe from her invincible spirit."

"But what about our master?" The devoted underling demanded.

"Don't worry Fukuju, I won't let that _thing_ get me. Not until I've gotten what I wanted. Not until I've judged this whole universe as harshly as it's judged me."

"You really don't have any say in the matter." Hojo told her smirking.

"We'll see." She told him coldly, and turned to leave.

"Where are you going master?" Fukuju questioned.

"I have to meet Sora at the Eye of the Storm. I have to go destroy that clueless, meddling, child. I'll need to summon the Heartless, an I can't very well do that here." Without another word she strode out of the room, her devoted follower close behind. There was a moment of silence before Engi hopped over to where Hojo stood.

"Hey Doc? Do you think I could…You know…? Have it now?" The scientist eyed the youth for a moment before smirking again, and producing a vial from on of the pockets of his lab coat.

"Need your 'fix' so soon Engi? I think you're starting to become addicted." The child eagerly popped the glass open and darkness began to seep out like a pestilence. The youth excitedly lifted the vial to his mouth and nose and inhaled all the shadow within the container. His eyes blazed yellow, shown as plain yellow orbs for a moment, before the settled back to his original golden-tinted hazel. He smiled thankfully at the doctor, before bouncing off after his master and fellow subordinate. Hojo shook his head grinning as he returned to his experiments.

"These poor fools are such fun, dependant and addicted to the darkness as they are."

A/N: And chapter 21 is over. Wow, that thing just ran off on me! Sorry, I really intended for more stuff to start happening, but this got outta hand…

Engi (Japanese)-Luck

Fukuju (Japanese)-Obedience

Utagau (Japanese)-Mistrust

Nazo (Japanese)-Enigma

Hojo- Crazed scientist from FF7 who made Vincent what he is. He used a woman Vincent loved name Lucretia in his experiments and he is Sephiroth's 'father' sort of… He was killed in FF7.


	22. Chapter the 22nd

A/N: Chapter 22! Onward and upward! Huzzah! I've had a crazy week, let me tell you! I didn't get to see Advent Children liked I'd hoped, but I might be able to make another attempt for this weekend, maybe. Boogiepop, however, was kind enough to show me the Kingdom Hearts 2 opening! OMG DROOL! Seriously, this was the highest point of my last several years, which is totally depressing! It has some scenes from the game, such as Destiny Islands and Hollow Bastion (OMG FIGHT WITH RIKU/ANSEM!) Not to mention Ansem's death scene (cries). And it has some stuff from Chain of Memories, like Sora's fight with Marluxia (a.k.a. the Fairy King) and Riku's fight with Ansem. Also Namine and Kairi and it was all done in Square Enix's finest graphics! It was soooooo beautiful! LOL, my cousin is playing through Kingdom Hearts for the first time (She's 21) and she is so utterly stuck on Riku the 2nd time (like a terminal case of stuck) it's almost laughable. We've memorized the cut scene preceding it, which is long. So yeah, and now it seems I've developed a bit of an obsession with Ansem… So yeah… I have problems…

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Review Responses:

**_Nikore Strife_**- Glad you liked the Cloud/Leon ness though I know it wasn't what everyone was hoping for. Don't worry about picturing Sora with black hair, 'cause I can't either. It really isn't that important (wink). So Ansem being the Key master was unexpected? I hope that's a good thing! Oh, and if you could please let SoraAngel know I'm rather sorry, because I was supposed to guess one of the other reviewers new username and I guess it was SoraAngel, which I know now is wrong. So I'm sorry for getting them mixed up in this little dilemma, will try to keep things straight for next time!

**_Phantom Fox_**- Yes you are the closest to guessing, congrats! And wrong kind of bodily functions. Those are necessity, thing something more like a growling stomach. Ah yes Hojo… bleeping bleep he is. He does deserve much hurting, but that's what makes him an excellent villain: you can guiltlessly hate him.

**_Yamibakeru_**- Yeah, the chapters will probably be getting longer, 'cause it's getting harder to find a good place to drop off. Yeah I know the FF people were supposed to come from Hollow Bastion, but for this fic they need to be from different worlds, you'll see. I realize that lack of constructive criticism means you enjoyed the chapter, it just makes me giddy with happiness that you approved so wholly. Can't say I'm that pleased with the subordinates, but they're minor characters for the most part, so it's not a huge deal. Woah, you compare Hojo to Ni Jenyi too! No way! I love Saiyuki! Though Ni seriously disturbs me, but that's a good thing.

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- You're welcome for the crowbar. So you didn't about Ansem's past occupation? I hope that means I'm keeping you on your toes! Riku is gonna have to kick ass and chew bubblegum! OH YEAH! Ahem… You can keep Sora, Riku, and the crowbar if I can have Ansem! Heh, omg I have a problem… Jenova will get her chance at Atosaki, just wait and see.

**_Lil Kitty_**- (a.k.a. Shadow1Flame right?) I'm so sorry I screwed up guessing your name, though I can't say I'm surprised. Both you and SoraAngel used new usernames so I was totally thrown off. Again, I really am sorry! Sorry about the cliffhangers, but they will be getting worse. Thanks for respecting my opinion, so few people seem to do that these days, so your understanding is much appreciated. You do make a good point about fans existing only if there are those who don't like the show. I may quote you on that at a later date.

**_Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac_**- Moose? Where? Runs after Moose Glad you like this, there's always more!

Sora's eyes snapped open as he came into wakefulness suddenly, as if woken by loud disturbance. His blue eyes blinked in confusion, and he sat up cautiously. He glanced around the room slowly, coming to the realization his was aboard the Gummi ship. He scratched the back of his head lightly, only instead of bare fingers coming into contact with his scalp, he felt a cloth like material that covered his hands. Snatching them in front of his face he saw they were bandaged from the tips of his fingers up past his elbows.

_What happened? _He wondered, having no one to ask, as he was alone in the room. Gingerly he stepped out of bed, shuddering when his bare feet came into contact with the cold metal floor. He walked slowly and softly to the door of his room, opened it, and peeked into the hall. Not seeing anyone, he turned to face the cockpit/lounging area, but didn't see anyone there either. Shrugging slightly, he made his way towards the cockpit. It was as he crossed the threshold out of the hall, that Aeris found him.

"Sora! You're up! Are you alright? You aren't suffering from any pain are you?" She questioned him worriedly.

"Uh…no… Should I be?" He asked confusedly. "What happened? I remember attaching the Hallowed Crystal, but after that… Just darkness. How did I get here? Why are my arms bandaged?"

Aeris put her palm to his forehead, as if checking his temperature. "Sora you don't remember anything?"

"No, I-." A sudden crash followed by garbled yelling suddenly met their ears.

"Oh my! When I saw you were up I completely forgot what I was in the middle of."

"What's going on?"

"We're not exactly sure. Riku suddenly went berserk and tried to break down Ansem's door, shouting all sorts of things. Ansem hasn't come out yet, but by the sound of it everyone else isn't having any luck subduing him. Would you try? He listens to you. I'm supposed to be getting bandages." Aeris explained.

"_Riku_ went nuts? He's usually so controlled. What are the bandages for?" Sora babbled, his head trying to process too much at once.

"He's beating his knuckles bloody trying to get into Ansem's room," Aeris said with a sigh "and we can't hold him still to perform a curaga." With that she went on her way, searching out the medical kit, and Sora, worried for his friend, sped off towards Ansem's room. When he came to see the commotion, he understood what Aeris had said.

Riku was indeed seemingly trying to break down the former Heartless master's door, his fists raw and red for his effort. He was yelling horrible curses at the room's occupant, though some of what he said was lost under the loud pounding of his hands. Cloud, Cid, Yuffie, and Leon (Vincent was off on his own somewhere) seemed to be unsure of how to subdue the raging teenager. One thing that did startle Sora was the sight of Eclipse hovering nervously and sadly a few feet away from the group. _Why isn't he with Ansem?_ The blue-eyed teen wondered. Slowly he approached, and got within several feet of Eclipse with no one noticing his presence. He spoke to make his presence known.

"Riku, _what_ are you doing?" His friend whirled around so fast he almost fell over.

"Sora! You're up! All you alright?" Considering how fast Riku changed from attack mode to mother-hen mode the once-brunet was surprised his friend didn't have whiplash. "Are you in pain? Are you hungry? How are your hands?"

"Uh…?" Sora wasn't sure exactly how to respond to this. He was shocked once again when Riku changed back to how he'd been seconds before.

"Did you know!" He suddenly demanded. "Right now the only thing that could possible save that Light forsaken man in there is if you know! If you don't, so help me I'm gonna make him regret _ever_ learning what the word 'Darkness' meant!"

"Know? Know what Riku?" Sora was beyond confused. He'd woken suddenly on the Gummi ship with no memory of how he'd gotten there, his hands were bandaged, something terrible had apparently happened to him, Riku was out for Ansem's blood, and Eclipse seemed reluctant to be with his lover and guarded. Something was very, very wrong. "What did Ansem do that was so horrible other then the given?"

"It's the given that makes it a thousand times worse!" The silver haired teen exploded. "He was supposed to be the one opposed to the Darkness but that piece of scum facilitated it instead! Everything is his fault! He caused all the problems! He could've prevented everything!"

"Riku what-?" Sora was so confused it wasn't funny.

"Ansem was the master of the Keyblade before you!" Riku exclaimed. "He was the one supposed to be keeping the Darkness at bay but instead he gave it more power then ever!" Sora eyes had doubled in size with Riku's first sentence.

"What?" He whispered brokenly. "Ansem was…?"

"You mean you didn't know?" Cloud asked surprised.

"I swear to Light I'm going to kill that man!" Riku immediately turned around and punched the door with all his might.

"Sora I'm so sorry!" Cloud was absolutely shocked. "If I'd known you didn't know I would've told you immediately!" The once-brunet's eyes were down cast, and he didn't say anything for a long time. Finally he spoke.

"Riku stop." He whispered. The turquoise-eyed youth did so instantly despite his obvious remaining anger. "Alright, I want to know exactly what's going on from the time I attached Hallowed Crystal in Halloween Town to this very instant. Leave no detail out." His voice was soft, but the tone was unmistakable. This was an order from the master of the Keyblade.

"Finally settled down?" Aeris asked as she walked into the group. She preformed a healing spell on Riku then bandaged his knuckles. "Sorry for the interruption." She apologized. "Please continue."

**_"You had a reaction after you activated the Hallowed Crystal."_** Everyone, including Sora was surprised when it was Eclipse who spoke, the sadness, due no doubt to the absence of his master, evident in his voice.

"What kind of reaction?" Sora questioned

**_"Have you looked at you reflection since you woke?"_** Sora shook his head and Aeris produced a hand mirror. Sora gasped when he saw the extent of the taint.

"So that's it then. No more Hallowed Crystal unless I want to find out exactly what happens to Keyblade masters who disappear."

_**"When you attached Hallowed Crystal, your body started reacting violently, the Keyblade even more so. Energy seemed to emanate from you and the Key. It was all my master and I could do to shield your friends from the resulting explosion of power. Sora… You destroyed every single Heartless in Halloween Town with a single burst."**_

"I did…?" Sora was at a loss for words. Eclipse's bulky head nodded in conformation.

**_"Yes. It was immensely destructive to everything. The extensive scars due to the burns you received, on your hands and arms in proof enough of that."_** Sora looked at his bandages.

"Scars form burns?" He whispered. Slowly, tentatively, he unwrapped one of his arms to see what lay beneath. His breath hitched at the extent of the damage. Scar tissue spider webbed all over his arms up to his elbows. "Is…Is it permanent?" He murmured. Aeris nodded sadly.

"I'm afraid it's more then likely." Sora didn't say anything for another long moment.

"Alright, that explains that much. And what exactly is all this about Ansem being a Keyblade master?" There was a distinct feeling of reluctance and hesitancy from Eclipse.

**_"I'm not sure if it's my place to say this, but I'll tell you what I can." _**Sora could tell the Eclipse was very anxious about his master, his mind not fully on the conversation at all. Being tied to both Ansem and Eclipse, Sora could tell they were both greatly unsettled for their absence form one another. Sora was tempted, greatly so, to obtain an explanation from Eclipse. However, he remembered that night, aboard the Gummi ship headed for Hollow Bastion the words Ansem had spoken to him: _"No matter what it looks like the outcome will be, know that I'll be there to help you till the end."_ They'd been as sincere as the former Heartless master had ever been. With that in mind, he asked his next question.

"Why aren't you with him?" Sora asked. The guardian fidgeted his hands, as if he was a child that had been harshly reprimanded, felt sorry for what he'd done, and didn't know how to apologize.

**_"I…I believe he is very cross with me right now."_**

"Are you sure you're comfortable saying anything?" Sora questioned.

**_"I…" _**The guardian seemed not to know how to respond.

"This is important Eclipse. But I understand your absolute dependency on Ansem. You're a mess for being at odds with him, and I'll bet he's the same way in there." He gestured towards Ansem's rooms. "You need to go to him. I'll hear an explanation later."

"Sora-!" Riku tried to interject but his friend cut him off.

"Ansem needs you now Eclipse. You've left your guarded alone for what I suspect is far too long without a reason or order from him. He's the one who needs you most now." The great black being hesitated only a second.

**_"Thank you Keyblade master."_** And with that he promptly disappeared. Silence reigned for another moment before:

"Sora! How could you just-!" Riku was about to blow up again and Sora set out to pacify the fiery teen quickly.

"We'll get our explanation straight from Ansem later. I'm all about balance remember? When the balance between the two people that are tied to my mind is so skewed I _have_ to do something to straighten it out, no matter the problems it gives me. Besides, despite what they've done, they are a pair of friends I'd be grieved to see go." He looked pointedly at everyone. "Remember, we are at war. We need all the allies we can possibly gather." There was a silence.

"Alright then. Are we ready to find this Eye of the Storm Atosaki mentioned?" Sora asked, back to being a teenager.

"Already goin'." Cid muttered. "Got another seven an' a half hours though." Sora nodded.

"Good." With that he got up and headed back to his rooms, Riku following behind him, and left everyone to his or her own devices. Suddenly the silver haired teen caught his friend in an embrace.

"Sora…I'm sorry." Riku whispered. "I didn't mean to go off like that-."

"I know." The once brunet responded, happy to be in the arms of his friend. "I don't blame you. I really don't blame anyone." He shook his head. "So Ansem was a Keyblade master? I knew his library seemed edited. He was never mentioned once. I wish I could say the pieces of this puzzle were starting to fit into place, but the truth is I'm only now beginning to see there _is_ a puzzle here at all."

Eclipse appeared within his master's room, nervous as he could ever remember being, and utterly apprehensive. He glanced around anxiously, looking for any sign of his master, and hesitated when he found none. There was a noise from the direction of the bathroom built into the room, and Eclipse slowly glided over. He hesitantly looked behind the slightly opened door, only to let out a telepathic exclamation of worry at the slight. Forgetting all the distance that had suddenly and unintentionally built between them, Eclipse rushed to his master's side, worried and desperately anxious.

Ansem stood bent over the sink, his face and hairline wet as if he'd been splashing water on himself. His ever-present, heavy coat was gone, tossed carelessly to the floor, his shirt was unbuttoned at the top, clearly showing the broken Heartless insignia that had been imprinted on his skin so long ago. His orange eyes, usually vibrant, and intensely focused, were hazy and distant as if clouded by exhaustion. His breathing was heavy as if he'd just done something strenuous, and his chest heaved with the effort to respire.

**_"Master!" _**Eclipse exclaimed, frantic. **_"Are you alright? What's wrong? Can I do anything?"_**

"My Destati?" Ansem asked, voice tired and hoarse. "You're here."

**_"I'll always be here master. I'm sorry for leaving you. So, dearly sorry."_** Eclipse's voice was whispered, understanding that Ansem was not in his best mental state. The former Heartless master leaned up and faced his guardian, just staring at him for a moment. Then he leaned, almost falling really, forward and wrapped his arms about the dark creature, a gesture that was immediately returned.

"You're forgiven, and I'm sorry as well my Destati." There was a moment of pause. "I feel it. I feel so strongly now. Can you? We're so close."

**_"Master? Are you alright." _**Eclipse questioned worriedly. **_"You have not called me by that title in years, not since I accepted my place by your side."_**

"It's the storm my Destati, we're nearing it. We'll have to pass through it before we reach its eye. I haven't felt this heavy presence in so many years, it's overwhelming to my heart, fragile and sensitive to this presence as it is." Ansem whispered. "My condition will get far worse before it gets better. Going through that storm will push me closer to oblivion then I've been in so long." He sighed, breathing heavily for a moment. "It's been so long since I've come so close to the oblivion that awaits a Keyblade master after their time is up and corruption has set in. Sora will undoubtedly feel it as well."

**_"And Riku?"_**

"Maybe. But this will be their first time, traveling through the shadow atmosphere surrounding the world first consumed by the Darkness. The world where the Darkness was born."

A/N: And Chapter 22 is over. So sorry. Ferris says you can go home now.

Destati- I really have no clue! It was the name of the music played during the Dive to the Heart and at the end in the World of Chaos. The reason for calling Ansem's guardian this will be explained later. If anyone knows what it means or anything _please_ let me know! I will be eternally grateful!


	23. Chapter the 23rd

A/N: And OH MY GOSH IT'S CHAPTER 23! Gasps for breath Hooah! I'm really hyper for no real reason! Sorry! This one's really short and bad, sorry; it's a filler chapter. Necessary but not really wanted. Have patience! More will always be on the way for however long you wish to read it! OH! My sibling got the 2nd volume of the KH manga and it's very funny! The worlds are out of order (Agrabah before the Coliseum?) but it's wonderfully illustrated and everyone's so expressive! And there are several four pane mini KH comics in the back that are a must read! Seriously! ZOMFG! I SAW ADVENT CHILDREN! HOLY MOTHER JENOVA IT WAS SWEET! I'm not giving anything away! But you've gotta see it! I had to settle for subtitles, but man was it worth every second!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Review Responses:

**_Phantom Fox_**- Yeah, the Eye of the Storm…More purpose later on… I completely agree with you about bad guys. There's just something so awesome about a really good villain. Granted Ansem wasn't great as far as villains go, but darn if he wasn't sufficiently twisted! Don't worry too much about the body functions. My advice/hint: don't over think it. It's not complicated or scientific.

**_Yamibakeru_**- Embrace the character obsession? Okay…Chases after a very confused and grouchy Ansem Gotta love the depth and Darkness of KH! That game truly is about the loss of childhood innocence and the path to a dark maturity… And everything in between! Yeah it was short, but this one's worse…I think…Well I like it a heck of a lot less so make of that what you will. Yeah Riku's got problems, don't we all? He's a teenager; every one of them has outbursts. Destati, as one of my other reviews supplied is Latin if you were curious, because you mentioned it didn't sound Japanese. Apparently it's a form of the verb 'awaken,' appropriate considering it's the name of the piece of music played during 'Dive to the Heart' and 'World of Chaos.' You know, the really gothic chorus. You coerce your parents? Wow, I wish I had that kinda power… Despite this chapter's horrible inadequacy, I hope you enjoy what you can of it nonetheless.

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- You really didn't like fighting Riku 2nd time did you? Well, I can laugh about it now because it's my cousin who's supremely stuck on him, and I refuse to stop giving her grief about it! Heh, she's fought him and lost at least thirty times! And as for the word definition for 'Destati' you sent me… I'm a mixed feel of emotions. First I'm supremely grateful, 'cause I can work this into the story and haven't completely screwed it up. Second, I'm embarrassed because I'm a 3rd year Latin student and I didn't know it was Latin! And third…I'm going to kill my teacher because I asked him if it was Latin a while ago and he said it wasn't but it might be Italian! I feel sorry for Sora too. Keep Riku tied to your bedpost!

**_Nikore Strife_**- Thanks for passing my apology to Chany along, I felt horribly embarrassed about that. Glad you liked the surprise, there's far more to come!

**_Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodisiac_**- Ouch! You fell off your chair! Are you all right? I'm glad you liked it so much, but your glomp is crushing my ribs… Oh well:)

**_Shadow1Flame_**- I know who you are now! HAHA! Ahem…Sorry you had to see that…The suspense is indeed building, like a mountain of marshmallows in a microwave, just getting bigger and bigger and ready to burst! Alright, I'll keep the writing quality constant, but I seriously doubt you're going to come to terms any time soon with my penchant for cliffhangers.

**_Boogiepop Phantom_**- Ansem! Darkness! Oh why! Why! Why! Yeah, yeah, mother's coming… And I doubt the Jenova's witnesses would bother coming after me. You know, Kadaj and all them have Sephiroth to resurrect and all… Again with the Peon? And yes, you will be mauled by Riku fangirls; one of my other reviewers is one. OMG! I can't believe what I did to Ansem in this chapter! I feel horrible!

Last Time: **"It's been so long since I've come so close to the oblivion that awaits a Keyblade master after their time is up and corruption has set in. Sora will undoubtedly feel it as well."**

**_"And Riku?"_ **

**"Maybe. But this will be their first time, traveling through the shadow atmosphere surrounding the world first consumed by the Darkness. The world where the Darkness was born."**

Oh this was _bad._ Sora's thoughts had generally run in a pattern of similar ideas for at least the past few hours. It was however, finally confirmed as not just a bad gut feeling, there was truth behind his pessimism. He was currently standing on an open field with short, rough, stubby grass being the only thing growing there for as far as the eye could see. Actually, it was the only thing on the ground that was within sight.

The _really_ ominous thing about this place was the clouds. Huge, hulking masses of vapor, black as a snake's heart and rolling like the sea. They almost threatened to open up violently and pour torrents of rain, upon the seeming shriveled and dried earth. Sora knew though there was no chance of that happening, for rain didn't touch the ground where the Eye of the Storm loomed over. The clouds were like a giant ring of judgement, just waiting for you to show weakness and close in to claim your heart. There was no doubt in Sora's mind that the only things capable of pouring from those clouds were shadows.

The sky was deceptively bright overhead. Not sunny really, just bright, adding a startling contrast to the black walls around them. The clouds though, seemed to be a great distance away. There was nothing good about this place, one of the three reasons Sora's thoughts were so negative.

The second reason for Sora's pessimism, was what went on during the journey over. After Riku's outburst and their mutual forgiveness of one another, several things occurred that set Sora's mind on edge and made his hair stand on end. But really, what else would you feel when two hours before landing, screams of pain and torment emanated from behind Ansem's door.

It had started as low, restless groans of frustration and anxiety. It had escalated into whimpers and nervous cries afterwards. But nothing cloud have prepared Sora for the horrible screams that came from the occupant of that room. He'd tried to get a hold of Eclipse mentally, but the Guardian was preoccupied with whatever was wrong with his master.

An hour before arriving the Gummi ship had descended through a deep, black, smokescreen of darkness, seemingly endless and utterly unforgiving. Sora somehow knew in his gut that Ansem had sensed this great black cloud surrounding the world called Eye of the Storm, and that this was what was causing him such terrible distress. He was aching too, Sora realized, noticing that there was a dull throb within him at the close proximity of the unusual cloud. But this wasn't an ache that could be cured with painkillers, this was something that pained his soul. The truly puzzling part about it, was that no one else felt the ache… Well, no one but Ansem, and surprisingly, Riku, who'd confided to Sora a great unease and discomfort at their location.

And the third and easily the most relevant reason Sora was so utterly convinced things couldn't be any worse, was the greatly limitless army of Heartless that stood on the opposite side of the field, facing him, and wait for orders to strike. Orders given, most likely, by the person sitting astride another Behemoth at the head of the force: Atosaki.

"I hate my life." Sora said helplessly in a brief display of normal teenage attitude.

"I hate it too." Cid and Cloud agreed at the same time. Riku gave them both dark looks before turning to Sora.

"We'll stand by you to the end, whatever it may be, no matter what." His voice was soft and supportive, and very encouraging considering the trial Sora now faced. The once brunet grinned at his friend despite their circumstances.

"Why Riku! That sounded suspiciously sappy." Sora mock-accused. The silver haired young man smiled a little sadly.

"Yeah well, I might not have the chance to be sappy ever again, you know?"

"Hey, hey! What happened to the positive attitude?" Sora asked.

"It just had war declared on it by the dread I'm feeling."

"What are its odds? Does it have any chance of victory?" Sora almost sounded like he was asking about gambling odds.

"It's not looking too good." Riku replied with a grim grin.

"Regardless of how bad a fighter Riku's optimism is, what are we going to do about this 'problem?'" Cloud wondered aloud.

"You aren't going to rush into using the Hallowed Crystal again are you?" Riku's voice was subdued, as if he feared the worst.

"Not unless it's a live-or-die situation." Sora told them grimly. "I maybe hard-headed, but I'm not stupid." The blue-eyed young man looked meaningfully at the burns that marred his arms.

"That's good to hear Sora, because if you were to use it the it could be a 'die' situation for all we know." All heads turned to face the speaker, Ansem, who was slowly making his way from the Gummi ship, parked on solid ground not thirty meters away. Despite his weary and haggard appearance he was walking on his own, though Eclipse wasn't far behind, and was almost upon the group.

"Should you be up and walking after what happened to you on board the ship coming here?" Sora asked him once he'd reached them, but Ansem waved it off carelessly.

"My stability is the least of your worries, besides it's only due to the location. I'll be fine once we leave this place, not doubt you've felt the heavy presence of the darkness as well."

"Not nearly so much as you did though. Is it because you were once a Keyblade master?" Sora's question was seemingly almost casual, though Riku could tell there was a great deal of veiled emotion riding on the answer.

"You know now, I see. Eclipse informed me."

"Any particular reason why you felt the need to keep this from me?" Sora's question was immediate. Heartless roared in the background and Ansem shook his head.

"Now is not the time for this discussion, for it is long and riddled with things that will flip your world upside down several times over. _If_ we live through this battle, then I will tell you everything I know. I will answer every question you have. Does that sound fair?"

"Fair, yes. Likely, no." Sora sighed.

"Besides how do we know you won't be lying when you answer us?" Riku demanded. Ansem sighed and fixed a tired, and hard glare on the silver-haired young man.

"I _am_ a great deal of terrible things Riku, and I've _done_ a great of terrible things to all of you. But I've never lied. Concealed the truth, yes, but never lied about it."

"Aren't they the same thing?" Yuffie questioned archly. Ansem smiled thinly.

"As there is a great deal of gray area with the Keyblade, so too is there a great deal of it with life. There is a difference, but some may never see it. I have withheld information, but I've never fabricated it." Sora sighed.

"Alright Ansem. Because of the help you have given me, the knowledge you have provided me, and the companionship and friendship you've granted me, I'll hold you to your promise to explain _everything_." Ansem nodded firmly and, to Sora's surprise, gave a small bow.

"As you wish master of the Key." The display was slightly unsettling for Sora to watch, but the message delivered was very reassuring.

"Alright, now that you've gotten the personal issues out of the way, what do we do with the physical problem?" Leon demanded quietly. Sora summoned his Keyblade and attached the Ultima, wanting the increase in magic the Shadow Banisher would've given him but not willing to sacrifice the strength for it. Not considering the situation.

"Simple. We go in there and destroy every last one of those shadows." Cid grinned maniacally at Sora's response.

"That's the spirit kid! We'll give em' Hell!"

"Count on it!" Yuffie and Aeris said at once. Cloud whooped, Leon nodded, Vincent checked his weapon holding his silence, Ansem smirked, and Riku ruffled his hair with a smile of encouragement.

"Thanks guys. You have no idea how much better this makes me feel." Sora grinned at them.

"Let's not go rushing into this." Ansem warned. "You've all had ample opportunity to fight the Heartless before, so you know none of them are a cakewalk to defeat." He glanced over at the great army of shadows. "They're not moving anytime soon. Stupid wench, she thinks she's won. She's utterly convinced that no one, no matter how powerful can bring her down. In her mind it's quantity over quality, she's sure she has enough power by force of numbers to overcome any obstacle."

"How do you know that?" Riku wondered curiously, his voice not holding any suspicion, as it had been prone to do so lately.

"Because that was my own exact reasoning. It comes naturally when dealing with the Heartless. Their numbers are infinite, they can be made limitlessly." The former Heartless master admitted.

"Alright, so they won't be going anywhere for a while. That's good though the reason makes me more then a little nervous." Sora grumbled. Ansem, to his surprise, shared a grin with Eclipse. "Okay, what are the two of you planning?" The Keyblade master asked suspiciously.

"Unlike a few people I know, _Sora,_ I'm quite the multi-tasker, So-."

"Hey I'm not that bad!" The once brunet interrupted. Ansem sighed.

"Yes you are. You can't have more then one or two things on your mind or you get fussy and anxious and pace like you're training for a marathon. And don't even try to refute it, because, remember, I'm always connected to your head, and it's quite the jumble up there." Sora pouted sulkily with a tinge of pink across his cheeks.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted by a petulant child," Sora stuck his tongue out at Ansem "While I was suffering in my room, Eclipse and I managed to work out a possible plan of action."

"Wait, you were _scheming_ while you were in agony?" Yuffie asked in a disbelieving tone.

"I've suffered far, far, worse torments. That was nothing I couldn't work through."

"You were screaming pretty loud."

"My body's natural reflex doesn't account for my mind's trained reactions. Now if we could _please_ get down to business before the Heartless tire of loitering."

"Sorry, go ahead." Sora nodded to the platinum haired man.

"Alright, this is what we could do…"

A/N: And that's all for chapter 23! Told you it was bad! It'll get better from here, so please don't kill me!


	24. Chapter the 24th

A/N: Hi all and here's the next chapter of Padlock and Locksmith, mighty 24, as if it could be anything else! As embarrassing as this sounds this chapter is primarily spent fixing a mistake _I_ made in far earlier chapters, whoops. I know this is late, but my process of updating kinda blew up in my face, so Boogiepop Reborn is the kind soul who you'd have to thank for this getting online at all.

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Review Responses:

**_Shadow1Flame_**- The battle, yeah we're getting there-ish. Save the anticipation for the next chapter, that's when you'll need it. Can't accept your twinkie though, the chapter's late.

**_Phantom Fox_**- For some reason I always thought Ansem _must_ have been at least a little sarcastic before he went Darkness crazy. And his sarcasm is MINE! You can't have it! Grr… Ahem… Sorry you had to see that…Don't worry about the Gollum moment, I have those too sometimes. Alright, here's the real thing I need to address with you, 'cause I nearly flipped when I saw what you'd written. One of us, (Most likely ME 'cause I'm _so_ wonderful at screwing the easiest things up, and I've been really spacey lately) has let something slip somewhere in you're string of guesses about Sora's predicament. Either you forgot to mention one of the things you complained it wasn't last review, or (here's the more likely scenario) I just totally missed that you said it, or you worded it oddly and my small mind didn't pick it up. Either way…You mentioned the correct response in you're list of 'was not's.' So look at what you said and try again. You got it once, so this should be a piece O' cake. Remember I'm not trying to trick you it's obvious. You nailed it with body's reaction to hunger. What does it do, and why? You're looking for the why. It's a (?). Have fun! I had to talk Boogiepop Reborn through it and she was kinda looking at me like I was a psycho, but I refuse to come out and say it! Not when you're SO close!

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- Ouch, O.O bad couple of days? You have my profound wishes for better, so good luck! Yeah, fighting Riku was fun in a masochistic sort of way. You took French huh? My Latin teacher wanted us freaks in the Latin club to conquer the French club, 'cause the Romans conquered the Gauls. Not seriously, but it was fun to play with the idea. Of course, then we'd have to be conquered by the German club and that's just no fun. O.o Sorry about the filler and the cliffhangers. Hopefully there will be no more fillers, though I doubt the cliffhangers will stop. And yea, I plan on making sappy Riku appear again, especially once he and Sora get their acts together.

**_Yamibakeru_**- Yeah it's short, I'm trying to get better. Humor must always be present, 'cause, come one let's face it, most of these guys are a pretty hopeful bunch. And yes, they are in for Hell. Things will be getting better with the fluff later so you won't have to pretend to see it, promise.

**_Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodisiac_**- Yeah, Ansem's just twisted enough to plot while writhing in pain. Hurrah for Ansem and his problems. Ansem groans and rolls over twitching Oops I think I did some permanent damage this time. Better go before Guardian kills me.

Last Time: **"As I was saying before I was interrupted by a petulant child," Sora stuck his tongue out at Ansem "While I was suffering in my room, Eclipse and I managed to work out a possible plan of action."**

**"Wait, you were _scheming_ while you were in agony?" Yuffie asked in a disbelieving tone.**

**"I've suffered far, far, worse torments. That was nothing I couldn't work through."**

**"You were screaming pretty loud."**

**"My body's natural reflex doesn't account for my mind's trained reactions. Now if we could _please_ get down to business before the Heartless tire of loitering."**

**"Sorry, go ahead." Sora nodded to the platinum haired man.**

**"Alright, this is what we could do…"**

And Sora was nervous as Hell again, for almost the same reasons as last time. They'd discussed Ansem's plan thoroughly, several times, and Sora had to admit: it had potential. Not to mention Ansem had revealed several facts in that conversation that put a few things in a whole new perspective for Sora, not to mention reinforced his confidence in the man and that he _would_ tell Sora the truth once this was over. Sora went over the conversation, and the battle plan within, again in his mind.

_"Alright, this is what we could do." Ansem began grinning again. "We'll have to pair off again for this thing to work. Sora and Riku will focus on Atosaki of course. Not to seriously take her down, as I doubt it's possible at your current level of ability. You'll be the distraction, if she's focused on fighting the two of you she can't command her Heartless with her normal efficiency."_

_"Wait, what about the Crusaders and whatever else she has? Sora's the only one who can fight them." Cloud interjected. Ansem held up a hand for silence._

_"Please, I'm getting to that. Yuffie and Vincent will also pair off as they have the long-range attacks. You should be positioned as far away as you can without sacrificing your aim, and attack only those Heartless who can get airborne, Crusaders not included. Try and keep all flying Heartless away from the others, as the less fire they're under the better."_

_"You got it!" Yuffie said, eager to do her part. Vincent, to everyone's surprise, nodded agreeably, stating:_

_"A good plan. The Heartless on the ground can be hit with physical attacks and magic. In the air it is far easier to avoid what attacks you, so magic becomes less effective then it was and only consumes precious time." Ansem nodded again,_

_"You're absolutely right. Next Cid, Leon, Eclipse, and I will all engage the hordes of Heartless on the ground. As we all posses mid-range attacks, and a variety of them at that, we will take on the bulk of the army. Now I know this sounds completely ludicrous, but not if you think about this from the whole perspective. If all goes well, we'll have no interference from the air, no interference from the leader, and no interference from the Crusaders."_

_"But what-." Riku began only to be cut off by Ansem_

_"I said I was getting to that and I am. Just wait. Anyway, so we'll have no interference except from those who walk or hover close to the ground. We'll need to stay in a group, preferably a circle facing outward. That way, nothing can sneak up on us, nothing can sneak up on our allies, and we'll always be close to aid if we need it."_

_"Wait." Cloud began. "I have basically the same abilities as you four attacking the Heartless on the ground. Why aren't I helping with that?" Ansem grinned at his question._

_"Because you along with Aeris will be doing the most important thing of all."_

_"Healing?" Cloud asked dully._

_"No. You'll be bringing down the Crusaders."_

_"WHAT!" Everyone exclaimed, too stunned to protest further then that initial outburst._

_"PLEASE!" Ansem shouted, silencing them all. "Just listen. What do you know about Crusaders?"_

_"That only Sora can destroy them." Yuffie spoke up._

_"That they have immense physical power and magical power." Riku added._

_"And that they can't work in tight spaces or with other Heartless." Leon finished coldly. Ansem nodded to all of this._

_"Yes that's correct. And do you notice anything comparing them to normal Heartless? Any outstanding physical differences?"_

_"Ansem, all Heartless look different." Sora pointed out. Ansem smirked._

_"Yes but they share a few common details, courtesy of being a Heartless. Ever noticed how most of them possess a spherical head, usually black if not covered by head gear or fur, and bulbous, empty yellow eyes?" Slow nods of agreement as the group thought about what he said._

_"And Crusaders don't have those physical differences." Cloud said nodding. He looked at Ansem. "So what does that mean?"_

_"That they aren't Heartless." Shocked blank looks from the group, and Sora was looking thoroughly gobsmacked. _

_"What do you mean they aren't Heartless!" Again the exclamation was in unison. _

_"Exactly what I said. Now, think about what you mentioned earlier: Sora being the only one who can kill them, their immense power, and their inability to combine efforts with any other attacks. Remember to think outside the box, what does it almost sound like?" There was no response. "Can't figure it out? I'm not that surprised as it's a difficult conclusion to come to. The fact is that Crusaders are closer to being Summons then they are to being Heartless." Now it wasn't just Sora who was gaping like their jaw had become unhinged. _

_"No. Way." Sora said in two breaths, eyes as wide as saucers. _

_"Oh but it's true! Think about it! A summon has great power, be it physical or magical. However, it appears, attacks, and leaves, never combining its might with anything else, and probably not able to. That's probably why that last Crusader in Halloween Town terminated like that. Its time was up, so it disappeared. And lastly Sora being the only one who can combat them: well that's probably because what _can't_ the Keyblade destroy?"_

_"That…Makes a startling amount of sense." Sora admitted hoarsely. Ansem nodded, pleased._

_"My guess is that when trying to create a more powerful species of Heartless, Atosaki combined the Darkness with a Summon. Whether or not she realizes that it didn't mix properly or not is irrelevant."_

_"Okay, I get what you're saying about Crusaders being corrupted Summons, but how do you expect Aeris and I to destroy them?" Cloud demanded. Ansem rolled his eyes._

_"Think about it for a minute. Summons are magic, through and through. How do you stop someone from using magic? You cast a spell to 'Mute' them." Cloud's eyes widened and Aeris gasped. "All you have to do, Cloud, is give Aeris an Ether whenever she runs low on magic, and she simply has to cast a Mute spell on any Crusaders there happen to be."_

After that the conversation had dissolved into hammering out the details of where everyone would be positioned, and the like. Not as if it mattered though, the earth here was flat, so Atosaki could see everything they'd been doing from the beginning, even if she couldn't hear what they were planning. Oh, Ansem's idea could definitely work, but there were so many ways it could go wrong! A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his mental ramblings. He looked sideways to see Riku's nervous face.

"You alright in there?" he asked softly, tapping Sora's head with his index finger.

"Yeah." The Key master replied in a breathy exhale. "I'm just a little worried about this. There so many things that can go so horribly wrong. And I won't be able to protect all of you! What if you, or Cloud, or Leon, or anyone else gets hurt! Then what-."

"Sora, calm down. This is the safest plan of action we have right now. No matter what we could do, there's always the chance of someone getting hurt. Just do your best for them, alright?" Riku assured his friend. He hated seeing him so anxious, it made him feel as though he'd not done an adequate job protecting his dear friend. Sora next question caught him off guard.

"Will you do your best for me?" Riku's turquoise eyes widened and a haze of pink spread over his pale cheeks. He coughed nervously.

"I'll always do my best for you." Sora smiled gratefully at his response.

"Thanks Riku. That makes me feel so much safer. Really." He looked over the field, both where the Heartless stood, restless but unwilling to advance without direct orders, and to where the others were taking their positions.

Vincent and Yuffie would stay at about their present position, as the battle would take place far ahead of this location. Aeris and Cloud were somewhat ahead of them, as they would need to be able to see any Crusaders clearly. Ansem, Eclipse, Cid, and Leon were only about ten feet in front of Cloud and Aeris, though they'd rush far forward to meet the enemy in combat. Riku and Sora stood alone between the long-range and the mid-range, and would be advancing after the mid-range group engaged the enemy. Hopefully, as Ansem outlined, this would allow the mid-range group to direct most attention away from Sora and Riku so they could get to Atosaki.

Another Heartless roared from across the field. Almost as if in answer the clouds rumbled, as if it were a great peal of thunder following a flash of lightning that had occurred long before they'd arrived. However, considering those clouds seemed like great catalysts of Darkness, maybe it was answering the calling of the Heartless.

Sora shook his head slightly. There was something very disconcerting about this place, as if it had a great history, a tale all it's own. A tale of terrible things best left buried in the past. However, information was only useful if it was unearthed; ignorance was no aid to him. Sora made a mental note to ask Ansem about this place if -when- he got his chance to ask.

**_"Is everyone ready for this?"_** Eclipse's voice vibrated through Sora's mind and he could tell by the attention the rest of the group was paying seemingly to nothing, that they heard him as well. He was probably speaking for Ansem.

_"Gotcha Eclipse! I'm set to go!" _Sora responded mentally, hoping everyone else knew enough to answer the voice in their heads as well. Apparently they answered, or else Ansem didn't care whether the others were prepared or not. Sora hoped it was the former.

**_"Ansem wants you, Sora to make the battle declaration. We're here to fight for you, so it's up to you to take charge of this whole operation." _**Sora sighed at Eclipse's statement, getting the feeling he was dictating that second sentence for Ansem. Figures he'd defer leadership to the frightened, inexperienced, insecure teenager. _Whatever. I just want to get this stupid mess over with. I'm tired of always being in control. Stupid Ansem, stupid darkness, stupid Keyblade._ Sora sighed. _I wanted out to see other worlds and did I ever get it. Be careful what you wish for._ He had to smile a little though. The friends he'd made and some of the experiences he'd had were well worth the struggle. _Most of the time_. He thought mischievously.

**_"Sora? Did you hear me?"_** Eclipse's voice came again.

_"Yeah, Eclipse! I heard you! Just… Gimme a minute okay? This is the beginning of the end, so, let me have a little time to breathe."_ He could sense the slight worry leaking through from Ansem and Eclipse's bond, but he could tell it was for him, and not that his request would hinder their mission.

Atosaki sat stiffly atop the Behemoth, waiting for the Key master and his annoying accomplices to make their move. She had left her subordinates back at their stronghold, forbidding them to follow her. Hojo of course didn't listen to a word she said, but she wasn't worried he'd bother to follow. Fukuju had been anxious, as always, and Engi had been worried. Utagau was almost as indifferent as Hojo, and Nazo was still absent. She was rather certain they were bound to disobey her, as they tended to do when her life was at risk.

She hissed in agony as another wave of pain assaulted her senses. Her eyes narrowed, and she endured it. The pain was coming more frequently now, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could possibly hold out against this… whatever it was. A low growl emitted from her throat.

J E N O V A, She had asked Hojo to implant the cells of the being into her body, both she and her followers had. The J E N O V A cells would allow her to make and control the Heartless, powers she would've normally been unable to harness. However… If what Hojo claimed was had any truth to it, then J E N O V A was consuming her. But how far would the corruption spread? Would the monster just alter her body? Would it just coexist in her mind, another presence along side hers, like two passengers in a vehicle? Or would she completely destroy her mind and soul, destroy ever remnant of her being, leaving her an empty shell, free for use by any would-be inhabitant?

Another pass of pain wracked her body, and she feared it was the later that was most likely. She glanced at the Key master and his group across the field. They were spaced out now, in several groups. The positioning must have some sort of strategic purpose behind it. She allowed herself a smirk. Not that it would help them. Oh she would enjoy this, conquering the only barrier between herself and all the Darkness the universe could offer.

Sora exhaled slowly, savoring his last few seconds before he sent a thought with his readiness through Eclipse. However, first things first…"Hey Riku?"

"Yeah?" Sora was a little flustered to find his friend already looking at him.

"You ready for this? After this there's no turning back." The silver-haired teen laughed hollowly.

"Sora, with all due respect, I think the time allotted for turning back has long since passed." The once-brunet smiled thinly.

"Yeah maybe, but I'd feel guilty if I didn't at least ask." Riku rolled his eyes at his friend's words.

"Sora, to answer your question, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. The only way we're getting out of this place now is if we defeat Atosaki and fly off ourselves or if we take the ferryman's boat to the afterlife. Personally, I'm hoping it's the first one, 'cause I'm only seventeen and I have a bunch of living to do yet." He smirked at Sora, his first expression of that kind in a while. "And the only way we're gonna be able to do that first option is if we make it happen, so let's go get this melee over with." Sora grinned.

"Sure thing Riku. Let's get this thing started."

_"Okay Eclipse!" _Sora sent to the Guardian. _"I'm finally ready to go! As Cid said: Let's go give 'em Hell!"_

A/N: And yeah, that's it. I know you all were hoping for the battle to start, but I _did_ have to fix that mistake. Sorry. So it's taken care of and I _promise_ next chapter will have some action to it!


	25. Chapter the 25th

A/N: Okay, and here's chapter 25! Whoo hoo! And there goes my enthusiasm…(Enthusiasm runs screaming out the door) God I'm SO spacey right now…Sorry. My randomness will prevail! Heh, I went to an Anime Convention last weekend and it was most excellent! There were a BUNCH of Kingdom Hearts and FF7: Advent Children cosplayers running around. There was even a Roxas! Anyway, on to the main event!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Review Responses:

**_Nikore Strife_**- Yeah, Cid's awesome. And the FF7 stuff keeps coming in 'cause it's the FF I know best. However, the FF9 stuff will probably be surfacing in the near future. Can't say for sure when… Yeah, Sora and Riku need to get themselves in gear and get on with it already. However, in the next few chapters hopefully you'll see the reason I had them wait, or maybe not but there is a purpose to this! I'm not killing anyone off! Well, not really…And as for Cloud, not this chapter but the next chapter there will be something to look forward to. (hint, hint)

**_Yamibakeru_**- Glad you though the last chapter was 'bitchin rad.' I've never seen someone use the word rad so many times in such a short space of type. LOL, Seifer really says that! HA! Ready for the onslaught?

**_Whore-For-Words_**- Heh, love the name BTW. Sorry about the cliffhangers, but they will be getting worse. And yes, I am mean :)

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- You got the second KH manga too? I love the little four-panel comics in the back! They're so funny! Totally explains why Leon never eats (I wouldn't eat anything Aeris made either!). Here's the next chapter!

**_Chany_**- Hey there! I'm sorry about not replying to you, but I haven't been getting anything saying you've reviewed. I reply to everyone who does. If you have been reviewing and they're not going through…I don't know, but you aren't the first to have this problem if that's what it is. I truly am sorry, if there's anyway to fix it let me know. I hope I get this thing finished too, but… heh heh, we've got a long way to go… Enjoy!

**_Phantom Fox_**- No! You can't have his sarcasm! Anyone else's sure, but not Ansem's! Well…Okay maybe a little. (shares Ansem's sarcasm) Yay for facetiousness. No, it's not the body's reaction to hunger; it's like the body's reaction to hunger. Sorry about your life hitting you with a vengeance, I can relate. You have a red light in your room? Cool!

Last Time: **_"Okay Eclipse!" _Sora sent to the Guardian. _"I'm finally ready to go! As Cid said: Let's go give 'em Hell!"_**

"Atosaki!" Sora's voice rang calm and clear over the near silence of the Storm's eye, broken only by the sounds the Heartless made. "We're ready to face you! Bring on whatever you've been able to muster! We'll send you back to the black pit you crawled out of! You and the rest of your Heartless scum!" The Keyblade master stood firmly, no trace of hesitancy or fear in his frame.

At first there was no response from the woman across the field. But then, her voice carried over and her reply was heard. "Good of you to finally take me up on my challenge Sora. I was getting tired of waiting for you to uselessly prepare." The Behemoth she was astride shifted restlessly, and tossed its enormous head in impatience. "Even my Heartless tired of your stalling and your procrastination. I'll crush you in every way that Ansem and those that preceded him failed to do! I'll show you all the true face of Darkness!"

**_"Wait for her to advance her forces first." _**Eclipse's warning came through the second the parley was finished. **_"It'll do us no good if we engage them outside of Aeris, Vincent, and Yuffie's range of access. Wait for them to approach first!"_** Sora sent back a feeling of acceptance, showing he heard and agreed with what was being said.

Atosaki held her hand up to the barren sky as if awaiting an offering from the Heaven's. Sora could practically feel the dark energies building in the clouds, waiting to burst forth. Then suddenly her hand swung ninety degrees downward and her index finger pointed accusingly at Sora. Even from the distance between them Sora could tell her countenance was one contorted somewhere between deep hatred, greedy arrogance, and severe pain. There was no cry of 'charge!' only a couple of whispered words.

"Condemn them." And the Heartless charged.

They swept forward over the landscape, traveling faster the Sora recalled they were capable of. Roaring, shrieking, barking, and bellowing, they were like a great pestilence of shadows, rushing to infect Sora and his friends. Their moving feet thundered the ground even as their noise ripped the air, the flying Heartless making possibly more noise then the ones on the ground. Again Sora was faced with the nervous insecurity of 'what if?' _What if I can't stop them?_

And then it all changed.

The be-spelled words to halt an opponent's sorcery traveled over the terrain, almost as if shouted as loud as one was able or through a sound amplification device. Sora saw the magic travel through the air to its intended target, a burly Crusader at the front lines. The Creature howled as the spell made contact, and shrieked loudly as its effect sank in. The Heartless _shattered_ partially, it's wings flying apart in feather storms, it's limbs twisting crookedly, and its eyes going blank. _It broke again! Like in Halloween Town!_ What was left of its bulk crashed to the ground rolling over before coming to a stop. Not all the Heartless behind it were able to stop their momentum in time and go around the enormous shadow's corpse, the smaller species running into and getting trampled by those that overran them, and the bigger ones simply climbing or jumping over the body. _Great Light! Ansem's idea worked!_

"Alright! This is it!" Cid's voice shouted clear over the din. "Destroy the Shadows before they eat 'yer Hearts!" And with that Ansem, Eclipse, Leon, and Cid took off towards the advancing mass of Darkness like their sanity was gone. Considering the circumstances, Sora admitted to himself, all their sanity must be questionable at this point.

Leon's Gunblade was the first sign that they'd engaged the enemy. It was fired in quick succession, a barrage of rapid fire constantly accompanied by the sting of his sword on shadow. Cid's yelling was the indicator he was fighting the shadows with everything he could muster. His shouts were energetic and filled with his lazy speech and swear words, his figure always punctuated by the swift swirl of his spear followed by a cloud of dispersing shadow. Ansem and Eclipse were working as a formidable duo as always, using the diluted Darkness they were capable of harnessing without harm to themselves. Their blows sawed and whistled through the air, devastating all Heartless unfortunate enough to step in front of them. Some of the offensives they struck with, Sora noticed detachedly, he'd never seen them employ before, and neither, it seemed, had the Heartless. They fell in droves to his attacks, and Sora could swear that he could see a gleam of power, even at this distance, in his orange eyes.

_He's finally letting me see the Keyblade master within him. _ Sora realized suddenly. _Proof that maybe there is something beyond the oblivion of Darkness. _He was however, given no more time to contemplate as another Crusader shrilled and went down. Riku nudged his elbow, nodding silently towards the fray, and the commander of the Shadows within. Riku's knuckles were white with the grip he had on his sword 'Locksmith,' but Sora didn't question it. Better not shake his courage when his own resolve was easier compared with water then steel.

The Keyblade master nodded to his friend and both their forms tensed as if preparing for a race, and they dashed off, limbs matching movements as if synchronized. They went rushing towards the battle (or was it vice versa?) and the sounds and feel and presence of the war enveloped them. Sora was semi-aware of a flock of Wyverns and gargoyles closing in on he and Riku, dashing onward. Suddenly several shots rang out and five of the gargoyles disappeared, followed shortly by Yuffie's Conformer, which shredded the remaining Heartless. _It's working! The plan is working!_

Sora and Riku were almost upon Atosaki now, and they both knew she could see them. The Keyblade master's breathing was coming in pants now, more from nerves then from exhaustion. Heartless jumped in their path and at them from all sides, only to be swiftly slashed away by either the Keyblade or Riku's sword. They were closing in! Thirty feet…Twenty feet… Fifteen feet… Ten feet…_Five feet!_ There! They had reached the Behemoth's legs, pausing only for a millisecond, before exchanging a swift nod and splitting up, dashing around the monster on opposite sides and leaping up on it's hind legs, before making a jump for it's back.

The Behemoth bucked and Sora nearly fell, but he stabbed the Keyblade into the Heartless' hip, eliciting a cry of pain from the shadow, and clung on. He spared a glance to the side to see Riku had done the same. With another nod they were up again and on top of the Heartless and several more steps brought them forward, only to clash blades with Atosaki herself. She wielded twin broadswords, which must've been far lighter then they looked, and with a disturbing amount of ease blocked both of their blows. She parried Riku and sent him toppled over, only to focus bother her blades upon Sora, who dodged most of her slashes, not able to even strike out himself.

_We need a way to knock her off her feet._ Sora realized. _She's amazing with those swords, we'll never touch her unless her guard is down or her equilibrium is off. And since the first isn't happening…_ Sora wised up quickly, brain going over everything, _anything_, which would displace the Heartless master. And he could thank his good Karma that he was due for a little inspiration. He grinned in spite of himself. _I've got it! Ansem, you aren't the only one with good plans!_

Sora raised his Keyblade and twirled it like a standard for a moment, charging his power. Then with an extravagant flourish, swung it forth and shouted "Stopaga!" as his magic took effect. Atosaki swiftly avoided it, smirking.

"You missed Keyboy!" She smirked.

"Says you!" Sora replied, enjoying the childish taunt. With that he stabbed his Keyblade into the Behemoth's back again, causing it to rear in pain…only to be hit with Sora's spell at the top of it's buck. With a jerk the shadow froze, tossing Sora, Riku, and Atosaki off with a great amount of force. The only difference was that Sora had known what was about to happen, and gracefully landed on the ground. Riku, ever quick to catch on to his best friend, quickly followed suit and descended into a three-point-landing. Atosaki however, didn't fair so well. Mid-toss she was assailed by another wave of pain, and her body curled into a ball on reflex; she hit the ground with enough force to send her tumbling several yards away.

Not wasting any of the precious time granted to them, Sora and Riku charged her prone form, weapons drawn, ready to strike down the enemy once and for all. The Keyblade master was excited; the battle had been unusually swift, everything falling right into place in no time at all. The silver-haired young man was unable to believe their good fortune either. Soon this nightmare would be over, soon the Darkness would be stopped and he and Sora could go back to being how they were; friends not haunted by the threat of ever-approaching darkness. Soon they would have their answers.

And that, of course, is where everything went wrong. That is where everything changed.

Time seemed to slip into slow motion for Sora. He saw his and Riku's blades coming down in matched arcs, on an unstoppable path to the Heartless master's form. Then suddenly, the eyes that had been clenched in agony, snapped open, revealing Heartless yellow eyes. Sora remembered they'd been that color when he'd first encountered the mistress of shadows, but not like this; not so utterly _inhuman_. Her face broke into a crazed grin, and she reached up and the blades came down…and caught them in mid air.

Atosaki giggled maniacally, blood seeping down her arms from her palms where the blades sliced into her skin.

"What the-?" Riku ground out, turquoise eyes wide in disbelief that this was happening.

"Hello Sora." The Keyblade master's face drained of color at the sound and tone of that voice. Still clearly Atosaki's but now… It was as if another was speaking through her, like she'd been reduced to a puppet. "It's nice to finally meet you face to face. I've been desperate for this opportunity for so long." Sora thrust her hands off his blade, dashing backward out of reach, Riku following.

"Who the Hell are you!" He demanded quietly. "You're not Atosaki." The woman smirked sinisterly.

"You're absolutely right. I'm not the one who was called Atosaki."

"Then who are you!" Riku demanded. Her smirk was still in place.

"Why, my dear, young children. I am the Mother. You may call me J E N O V A."

A/N: Oh man, that's it, that's all she wrote for Ch25. Oh man…You're all gonna kill me for stopping there aren't you?


	26. Chapter the 26th

A/N: And welcome one and all to Chapter 26! Oh man…You guys are going to _kill_ me for this chapter! Well, some parts you might love, but for the rest of it… Yeah, I'm dead. **_IMPORTANT NOTE #1! IT'S COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT SOME PEOPLE'S REVIEWS AREN'T GOING THROUGH. SO IF I DON'T RESPOND TO YOUR REVIEW THAT MEANS I DIDN'T GET IT, NOT THAT I'M BLOWING YOU OFF!_**

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Review Responses:

**_Phantom Fox_**- Hey! I said some of Ansem's sarcasm not all of it! Ahem… No, it's similar to the body's reaction to hunger. Ah, it's not really important, 'cause in the chapter after this all is revealed concerning _that!_ You've never been to an Anime con? I high suggest it. They're a blast! The experience is like nothing else in the world!

**_Yamibakeru_**- I take it for the excessive use of caps lock and the word 'rad' that you enjoyed it. O.O Better then _Dirge of Cerberus?_ I really doubt that… You high praise is doing wonders for my confidence! Thank you! So that was the best chapter yet? Well then this one has a lot to live up to, I only hope it's nearly as exciting…

**_Nikore Strife_**- Yep Jenova, and they certainly are screwed. You're mom unplugged the internet 'cause you were reading this? O.O I'm soooooo sorry! Wow, guilt… No, I haven't gotten a review from Chany in a while other then the one from before. (Did she review the last chapter? 'Cause I didn't get one and I was wondering if that was still the problem. She's not the first one to have their reviews not go through on this fic…) Read on to see what's going to happen to Cloud! Here's your hint: Leon. And of Course FF9 is coming! I promised!

**_Shadow1Flame_**- Yeah, the cliffhangers are getting worse. I warned you! (Or if I didn't now you know!) That twitch looks serious… Glad you enjoyed that chapter minus the cliffhanger, and don't worry about not reviewing. It's nice that you bother to take the time to do it at all. I know how you feel about Homework… --. I hope this chapter is worth all your anticipation!

Last Time: **"Why, my dear, young children. I am the Mother. You may call me J E N O V A."**

As Sora landed heavily on his back, his head pummeling the ground with painful force, he allowed himself a moment to wonder how things had gone so wrong so fast. Soon he was up on his feet again, charging towards the monster that had at one point in time been Atosaki, but was now a shell of that woman, a heartless husk of a body. A body now manipulated and used by the evil creature called J E N O V A.

The Heartless-eyed woman grinned with maniacal insanity at Sora and with a demented, hollow laugh, gestured wildly and sweepingly, causing a wave of Darkness and half formed Heartless to knock Sora sprawling again, tumbling over the ground. Knocking him away like he were a fly, not even wasting any effort. Knocking him easily away as she had been for a long time now. Sora was sure he at least sprained something this time when his body made hard contact with the ground.

He wasn't sure exactly how long it had been since Atosaki's Heart was consumed by this _thing_ claiming to be something called Mother, but it had been long enough for Sora to watch in horror as the whole possibility of leaving this place alive fell apart.

Something drastic had happened to the Heartless once J E N O V A took control. They seemed out of control, overflowing, like there was an excess of them and they flowing and sprouting into one another from shadows that kept appearing. Shadows that poured like torrents of rain out from the clouds around them. And J E N O V A used them ceaselessly, with no regard to number, or species, throwing them as if they were waves to beat down Sora, the last solid cliff on a sandy shore. The last defense this Universe had against the Darkness.

Sora watched in horror and grief from his prone position on the ground as their only plan, their only possible hope, fell apart. He watched as a fatigued and weary Cid could only halfheartedly beat the Heartless away, not even with enough force to kill them. He watched as Leon's Gunblade was torn from his grasp, sinking beneath and endless emanation of shadows, and he was left defenseless to them but for some magic he had left. Watched as a magic-less Aeris and exhausted Cloud were drawn into the fray, trying desperately to fight them off, though there was no end to them. He watched as Ansem fell heavily, trembling and pulsing with shadow for having been using the Darkness for too long at once. Watched as Eclipse did everything remaining in his extinguished power to keep his master safe. He watched as Yuffie sat, nearly unconscious in exhaustion behind Vincent who was reloading his weapon with the last of his ammunition, ready to defend them with the little he had left.

He watched in utter terror as Riku, his best friend and the one he loved more then anything, was slashed and tossed away, trying to prevent J E N O V A from gaining any more ground on Sora. He watched as his friend hit the ground heavily, somersaulting over and over to stop in a tangled heap on the ground. He watched for several more minutes as Riku didn't move, he watched his friend lay in a lifeless sprawl.

Sora felt more then heard the scream of rage, and fear, and profound grief that tore raw and bleeding from his throat. He was up on his feet, tears streaming from his eyes, shouts ripping from his mouth. Riku refused to move. Sora wanted to break down and give up right then. He would've given _anything_ for Riku to get up and nod at him, letting him know he was alright. Would've given anything to switch places with him.

_I've had it._ Sora barely recognized his own thoughts they sounded so driven by rage and grief. _Even if he's not dead, even if he's just unconscious, this battle's gone on for long enough. We're out of time; everything's fallen apart. No one will be able to last much longer. _ Sora didn't even hear the cries of the Heartless as they got closer and closer to him. _It's do or die._ The though was stone cold and steel edged. He with drew the Hallowed Crystal key chain from his pocket and watched it dangle and sway freely in the air for a moment, still oblivious to the ever-approaching danger. _It's best this way. Best that I am consumed and die rather then let them suffer only to die later. Better me then them._

He gazed sadly at Riku for a moment, selfish thoughts running through his mind. _It's better I never told him I loved him. It will be so much less painful this way._ He raised the Keyblade up and made to attach the key chain…

**_"NO! Sora! Once you do that there is no going back, no second chance! Your era of the Keyblade will be up and you'll fall to oblivion! Don't do this! We're not dead yet!"_** Ansem's plea came strong despite the haggard state he was in. **_"I know what Oblivion is, I've seen it's face many times! Every instant that I use the darkness I'm pulled closer and closer. It is not something you are ready to face yet! You aren't strong enough to survive contact with such limitlessness! Be it light or shadow, you will die!" _**

_"Good." _Sora's mental voice was strong despite the tears pouring down his face. _"I'm not scared of it. I'm not afraid to die. What I am afraid of it watching all of you…Watching…I can't…Better to die myself now then spend the rest of my existence wishing I were dead."_

_**"Sora-!"**_ But the Key master shut him out, blocked him from his mind. He raised his hand and held the key chain, inches from replacing the Ultima. He glanced back at Riku and almost shouted with joy at seeing him struggle to sit up. He was alive. Riku shook his head as if he was groggy, and glanced up, seeing Sora. The Keyblade master could see the realization in Riku's eyes when he saw what Sora was about to do. Saw him open his mouth to shout, scream, yell at him to stop. Sora smiled sadly.

"Good bye Riku." And he attached the Hallowed Crystal, and everything dissolved into Darkness.

Cloud slashed wearily at another Heartless and panted heavily, his body ready to give out it was so exhausted. They were losing, the tide of the battle had turned and they were losing. They were going to die.

Cloud just wished he'd had a little more time, cliched he knew, but there were things he hadn't done that he'd wanted so very badly to do. _I'm sorry I never really apologized to you, Aeris, for letting you die in the first place. I'm sorry I never told Cid, Vincent, Yuffie, Riku, and Aeris how much I was glad to have their friendship and support. I'm sorry I never properly thanked Sora for saving me from my Darkness. I'm sorry for being so utterly washed up in my own guilt to do any of those things. I'm sorry I never told any of my friends about my taint from the darkness, I'm so sorry I never trusted them enough to speak of it. And most of all I'm so sorry I never told you how much I love you, Leon. _And it was that last though that hurt more then anything.

_I've already loved and lost once, you'd think I'd know better then to let it happen again. _Cloud hacked at another shadow. _No one can truly describe the pain of losing someone close to you. It's nearly unbearable. You'd think I would've gone to any length's, taken any risks, to keep from feeling that pain again. Huh, guess I really am a fool._

Suddenly a pained cry got his attention. Cloud's head jerked up so fast he almost didn't know where his eyes were focused, but then the howl of agony came again and his vision zeroed in on the figure that was being overrun with Heartless, forced to the ground where even the smallest shadows could reach his heart. The scream rent from his mouth before he could think.

_"LEON!" _Cloud was frozen in place, terror overriding any instinct that was left, and all he could do was watch helplessly as his friend was forced down. As he shouted in pain and rage. As a single shadow crawled up on top of him, over his chest. As that one Heartless stared emptily at his defiant blue eyes for a moment. As that shadow stabbed it's hand into his chest intent on taking his heart for itself. As Leon screamed in a way Cloud had never heard him before with a pain he'd never known.

It was that scream, torn from the tortured mouth of the one he'd come to love, that awoke something angry, and primal, and merciless, and _dark_ inside Cloud's mind. His eyes blazed with animal ferocity, orange electricity crackling around his body. He snarled with bestial anger. Leon's heart belonged to _HIM_ dammit!

He let his angry power flow freely, and he spread his enormous, black, Heartless wing. Unashamed that anyone might see his taint. Only caring about reaching Leon in time, saving his heart. His legs tensed and he jumped upward with inhuman strength, his jagged wing spreading, propelling him onward and upward, his dark energy personified in the orange electricity making up for his lack of a second wing.

He was _fast_, his wing barely flapping and still he soared onward with enough sped that the Heartless-covered battlefield just looked like a blur of gray. He landed right over Leon, wrenching the Shadow from his body and crushing it with his golden gauntlet. He ripped the Heartless surrounding Leon's battered body apart with his bare hands, snarling with darker malice then any of the soulless Heartless.

Once the area was clear, he bent down and lifted Leon's form into his arms with a tenderness that was almost a paradox to what he just done to the shadows with those same hands. With another leap and several flaps he was clear of the battle, airborne and rising fast. His only concern was getting Leon out of harm's way, never mind being scared about him seeing his shame; all that mattered was that he still had his heart, that he still had what belonged to Cloud.

Cloud stopped rising, hovering in place, his wing flapping ever few seconds. He turned his attention to Leon, who thankfully, though he was battle worn a little, was still in one piece and still in possession of his Heart. The Gothic swordsman was staring at Cloud, his usually cold, blank, and blue eyes wide with shock.

"Cloud…" he whispered softly. "What…?" Cloud didn't have to be looking at him to know he was staring at his black, Heartless wing. Cloud stared right back at him. _I was just wishing for more time to tell him I loved him. I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't do something now._ Besides, his currently active dark aspect of his personality was _itching_ to get its hands around Leon.

With a soft growl from Cloud and a slight yelp in Leon's part, the blonde pulled his dark lion into a fiery kiss as brutal as the battle. A kiss that was all swollen lips clashing together, teeth rasping against dueling tongues and needy sounds moaned and groaned into the air around them. Leon gripped Cloud's arms desperately, a deep, guttural purr escaping from his throat. With twin gasps they broke apart, panting. They stared at one another for a moment, their harsh breathing the only thing filling the silence. Then they were on each other again, this kiss more passionate then the last. The blonde crushed the brunet to him, trying to drive away all distance between their two bodies, trying, it almost seemed, to absorb him.

Cloud nipped Leon's lip and the brunet broke away with a gasp, eyes clenched shut, panting as if he'd run a great distance. Not willing to sacrifice the sensation of feeling, Cloud's mouth dropped to the older man's neck where he scattered brief and calming kisses, heartening nuzzles, and arousing licks. Eventually he pulled away and with serious meaning Cloud made his statement to the larger man in his arms.

"You're Heart belongs to _me_." Leon never got the chance to respond, because a flash from the battlefield caught their attention. Both looked to the ground far below, gasping again when they saw the telltale flash of pulsing light.

"Oh great Light Sora used _it_…He used it and now he's gone…" Cloud wasn't sure if it was him or Leon that had spoken. The place where Sora had been not a moment before was now a spot of pulsating, throbbing light. Like a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. And explode it would, but when was another matter. Especially since it seemed to be getting _brighter_ and _stronger._

Cloud bowed his head, his arms unconsciously pulling Leon into a tighter embrace, as if he was frightened something might come to take him away from Cloud, just as something had taken Sora away from Riku. He'd allow himself to grieve fully later. Right now he was still apathetic to anything but Leon under the emotional influence of his darkness. Later he'd grieve for his failure today, but at least he'd been able to save his love. The dark swordsman, though still facing the battle far below, allowed himself to be enfolded against the blonde's slighter body, his head resting against Cloud's collar.

Riku knew he should run, that Sora using the Hallowed Crystal would probably destroy everything and everyone on this world. But he couldn't bring himself to care. Couldn't bring himself to move from his position, on his hands and knees, gripping and punching the ground. Tears poured down his face as freely as the Darkness from J E N O V A, and he shouted and cursed everything he could think of. The Darkness, the Light, the Keyblade, Ansem, Atosaki, J E N O V A, but most of all himself.

_Because I'm not strong enough! Because I can't protect the one person I love more then life itself worth a damn! Because I can't challenge the power of the Keyblade, that goddamned, stupid thing that drove Sora to this place and forced him…and forced him…Oh God…_Riku couldn't even hold himself up anymore and just collapsed on the ground and curled up, just sobbing and trembling. Wishing all this was a dream, that he'd just wake up and everything would be like it used to.

But it would never be the same again, because Sora was gone.

Riku gasped and clutched his chest, the raw _pain_ that thought brought on more all-consuming then any bodily torture possible. His hand, still gripping Locksmith gave a spasm and clutched the sword tighter then ever, his knuckles cracking with the effort. What could he do? What was left for him now that his only reason for living was taken away? He had no place here, no place in this war without Sora…

Riku inhaled sharply again as that thought struck him. He remembered the words he'd told Sora before their first encounter with Atosaki, and they echoed like a mantra in his head. _"If you die the I have no reason to live either! My only purpose these days is to fight the Heartless! The only justification I have for that reason is you!"_ Sora was his justification for fighting. And if not to help him…so be it, then to **avenge** him.

Riku stood shakily at first, but then straighter. He held Locksmith ready for anything that he decided to do. He understood what kind of pain had driven Atosaki now. She sought to overrun the world with Shadows and punishment for something done to her in her past. Riku would make sure every shadow was purged from this universe for something done to his dearest friend. No matter whom he had to hurt, to cut down to do this, the Darkness would _pay_.

As his anger, rage, and grief grew he pumped each new emotion, each new pain, into Locksmith, and he was too focused on his goals, getting darker and darker, to notice the sword's reaction.

_I would destroy everything for Sora. Even my own Heart._

And everything clicked into place, and his sword vanished in a flash of black, blue and purple. Only to be replaced suddenly by something heavier, something longer, and slimmer, and _Oh God…_ **_Darker._** Riku stared in shock, as the world seemed to pause around him. Stared in shock at the long black and red object in his hand. The weapon he'd summoned by flushing all his dark intent into his blade, all his will to destroy for the memory of his love. The weapon he'd crafted from his broken will and endless rage and grief.

He looked with an almost detached sense of shock and awe at the Key chain dangling from the weapon, a Keyhole about to be pierced with a sword.

It was his very own Keyblade of Darkness.

It was Locksmith.

A/N: Okay. I am mentally and emotionally drained after writing that chapter, as I basically did it in one sitting, and as I'm finishing it it's almost eleven o'clock at night. My head is killing me. And I just totally screwed everyone over. Poor Riku. At least Leon and Cloud have one another. But what will happen to Sora? Well…Wait and see!


	27. Chapter the 27th

A/N: And this is Chapter 27… w00t! Sigh… _I'm sorry to say that this will be the last chapter I'll post for a few weeks. I'm on the hardest syllabus this year for my History class, and I'm falling behind with both my schoolwork and my writing. I'll use this time to catch up and get back on track, but I'm asking all who're reading this to please have patience with me. You've been very good at deal with my inconsistency thus far and I'm asking for just a little more. Thank you._

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Review Responses:

**_Kingdomhearts222_**- Hello! You want to see what happens? Read on, and please don't cry!

**_Kandrisia_**- Greetings! Yep, Riku got his Keyblade. No, he's not Sora's Darkside, and read on to see where Sora went!

**_Yamibakeru_**- You sound rather out of breath… I'm not sure I'd call it a stroke of genius. Sleepless nights and daydreaming in class maybe, but it's a far cry from genius. GASP! Cloud's bit? Random and irrelevant? Have you no faith in me? Of COURSE it had a purpose! Two actually if you can't the added bonus of appeasing all who'd been asking when the yaoi would finally arrive. No, the purpose, as you will see later was to reveal Cloud's taint to the others, especially Leon and it _will_ have great purpose very soon! You almost cried? (hands hankie)

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**-(Munching on box of cookies Karise gave her) Oh? A theory? Hmm… That's pretty slick considering I haven't dropped that many hints yet, _but_ you're only half right. You mentioned Ansem and Mickey, can you guess where they figure into it? You're right about the more then friends/lovers bit, but the _why_ is off. Read this chapter and then tell me what you think! You're on the right track! (Two bodies one mind? Would that be reverse Schizophrenia? Sorry, I have a terrible sense of humor). No, Sora isn't dead. No S/R if he was.

**_Nikore Strife_**- You say 'Oh my Light?' Cool. GASP! I'd never kill Leon! He has enough to worry about! Glad you enjoyed the yaoi scene, and it gives me an excuse to stick little moments in there while you're waiting for S/R. Nope, Sora's not dead, he still has get with Riku!

**_Phantom Fox_**- Yep, they got together, finally. Yep, Sora's got problems and Riku's got a Keyblade. What could happen next? So you're going to a con? Sweet. You're cosplaying as Dark? AWESOME! (Satoshi scares the crap outta me!) Cosplaying's a blast! Have fun with it above all else!

**_Shadow1Flame_**- Sorry! Sorry! The cliffies, I know! Oh! A large tasty cookie! (Gobbles cookie).

**_Chany_**- GASP! I'd never forget you! But yeah, a bunch of Boogiepop Reborn's reviews don't go through, so you're not the only one. Sora's not dead and Riku can now truly kick ass. Leon and Cloud are also given an excuse to have fun (wink).

**_Angel Born of Darkness_**- Hello! Of course Sora's not really gone! I'd never kill Sora!

**_Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac_**- You think it was intense reading it? Try writing it! I was in a slump for hours. Don't worry about not reviewing every chapter. You bother to do it and that's what counts!

**_Shi no Yume_**- Hi! Loved the review. Short ad to the point and oh-so expressive!

Last Time: **He looked with an almost detached sense of shock and awe at the Key chain dangling from the weapon, and Keyhole about to be pierced with a sword. **

**It was his very own Keyblade of Darkness.**

**It was Locksmith. **

Sora floated silently onward, not really thinking of anything in particular. It's not like he had any stimulation from his senses to feel anything. What was there to touch, taste, smell, hear, or see in a world of constant Darkness? When he had nothing to think of really… Which was an oddity in and of itself.

He was the Keyblade master for crying out loud! He always had something to worry about! Be it the Heartless, his friends, Riku, Hallowed Crystal…

With a startled gasp it all came flooding back. The battle, J E N O V A, and the decision to use his ever constantly warping Keyblade. He looked around at the darkness. But, if he'd used the Hallowed Crystal, then where was he now? Was this Oblivion?

A low, amused laugh caught his attention, even more so since it was the only sensory input he'd had for a while.

"Who's there?" He demanded, turning around to find the source of the laugh, but still not able to see anything.

**_"Oblivion? This is a far cry from true oblivion boy." _**The mental voice startled Sora. He heard it the same way he heard Eclipse speak, but also… This voice was so much deeper and _darker_ then Eclipse's. Eclipse may have been a strange, shadow creature of unknown origin, but at least he had a spark of light within him, keeping him good and kind. This voice conveyed a lamp of shadow cloaked in light, as if the speaker did what was good with the best of intentions, but the heart within had darker desires that could not be extinguished.

"Who are you?" Sora asked again. The voice 'tsk'ed.

_**"Patience boy, all in good time. You've got plenty of it here, after all, though I'm not sure I'm ready to answer as to my identity."**_

"Where is 'here' anyway?" The blue eyed boy asked carefully.

_**"No place that's not familiar, though I'm getting a rather certain impression you weren't aware this place looked as it does now."**_

"Stop with the riddles. I just want answers. I just used my Keyblade, the Keyblade that was supposed to push me to Oblivion, and I don't know where I am, or what happened to my friends." Sora waited for the voice to answer.

_**"Hmm… Fair enough. You want answers, then so be it. Ask you're questions, but I'll answer them in the order I choose."**_

"Where am I?"

**_"Ooh, can't answer that one yet, try again!" _**The voice sounded thoroughly amused.

"Fine. What happened when I used Hallowed Crystal? What happened back at the battle?"

_**"When you attached the Hallowed Crystal, the energy, I'm not telling you yet if it was Light or Dark, consumed you and tried to force you to Oblivion. You weren't ready to face Oblivion yet, so to avoid the chance of you dying I locked you in here instead."**_

"What-!"

**_"Please! I'm not finished with your questions! You really are an impatient brat aren't you?" _**Sora tried to keep from grinding his teeth in annoyance. **_"As for the battle…" _**Sora could've sworn the voice must have been grinning. **_"Some interesting…developments…have taken place since you were consumed."_**

"Such as?"

**_"Riku's come to quite the decision." _**Sora's breath caught in his throat.

"Riku? What's going on there? What's happened to him?" Sora was angry and anxious, and if this stupid voice taunted him anymore…

**_"Do you remember when he took your Keyblade, claiming to be the rightful Keyblade master?" _**Sora nodded. **_"Well, he could use it not because he was meant to have your Keyblade, but he was indeed meant to wield a weapon of the same mold."_**

"You mean Riku's the next Keyblade master? Is he all right? What's going-?"

**_"Silence child! If you want an explanation then shut up and listen! I'm tired of your interruptions! I'm not doing this for my health you know!" _** Sora was silent. **_"Good boy. Yes, he's a Keyblade master; no he's not your replacement. The next to receive your Keyblade hasn't even been born yet. You've got quite a battle ahead of you. That's why I brought you here. Because you're needed yet, for several reasons."_**

"Oh? Such as?"

_**"Well for one thing, if you love that Riku boy even half as much as you think you do then you're going to want to do something about his current situation."**_

"What happened to Riku!"

_**"Hmm. Do you remember when you first received your Keyblade, back on the Destiny Islands? Do you remember how it looked when you first received it? Neither of great Light or great Darkness?"**_

"Yeah, it was neutral. What of it?" Sora asked the voice archly.

_**"Since it was neutral it gave you time to adjust to the whole light/darkness balance issue most Key masters have had… Riku doesn't have this advantage. He went straight to his Dark Keyblade."**_

"What! He's already got his Dark Key? What's going to happen to him! Will it consume him, or-?"

_**"You're a REALLY disturbed kid aren't you? Riku hasn't been corrupted yet, but it won't stay this way for long. He's using it with no idea what he's doing, no limitations, and soon the Darkness will overcome the good intentions the Keyblades are forged upon and consume him. He's running out of time Sora. Time borrowed because of YOUR rash decision."**_

"Was there an alternative? One that would've let all my friends live?"

_**"Doubting fool. There's always an alternative. You just have to think…creatively…sometimes."**_

"What can I do about Riku? How can I get out of this place and go back? And can you answer where 'here' is yet?" Sora sighed.

**_"You do need to return. Of this there is no doubt. Riku has become tied to the Darkness, an easy fall for him to make in your absence. You need to return to balance him." _**The voice chuckled. **_"How sweet! He can be your Darkness and you can be his Light!" _**Sora resisted the urge to snarl at the voice.

_**"And as for your question relating to your location… Well, all right. Sora, welcome to the inner workings of your Heart!"**_

"M-my Heart?" He looked around frantically. "Everything's so black! Is this really what I've become?" The last part was whispered fearfully. "Did Hallowed Crystal really fill my Heart with Darkness?" The voice snorted.

**_"Hardly. As it is with most problems relating to the inner workings of the self, 50 of it is what you _think_ is going on versus reality. This dark endlessness is what you _believe_ has happened to you, this is how you view yourself."_**

"What? So you're saying Hallowed Crystal wasn't Darkness? It didn't do this?"

_**"Nope. This shadow isn't Hallowed Crystal's fault. This is something you chose to see on your own, regardless of the fact that it doesn't exist. Here, you want to see things as they are? Let me show you…"**_

Suddenly the world was no longer endless, unfathomable blackness, but instead almost intolerable light. So much so that Sora had to close his eyes and keep them shut.

"But I don't understand!" he ground out, eyes still shielded. "If Hallowed Crystal is really the Light representation of my soul, then why did my hair turn black? That's far to simple a suggestion-."

**_"Oh you ARE very funny, Sora! Honestly, why does everything have to be a difficult challenge you must overcome? We're referring to you body Sora. Your body doesn't try and trick you, it tells you what you need if you lack it. Just as a stomach growls to tell you when the body needs food, so did your hair turn black to tell you your body needed Darkness to balance the equation. See? No difficult challenge involved. Only paying attention to something _other_ then you're silver-haired obsession." _**Sora had the decency to blush, though it was well masked by the fact he was still hiding his eyes from the light with his hands.

"So…What I need now is my Keyblade of Darkness? Right?"

_**"Bingo! You win the prize! Congratulations!"**_

"But how do I obtain it? I have no idea how to go about doing something like that!" Sora was starting to sound frantic.

**_"Well… I suppose I could help you…" _**Sora knew that the voice was waiting for him to take the bait. He took it anyway.

"You know how to forge my Keyblade of Darkness?"

_**"Of course. It's fairly straightforward. You pour all your more negative emotions into something, and it becomes your Key chain, the manifestation of your thoughts. It's that simple. Really."**_

"So I need something to pour my dark thoughts into? I don't think I have anything…"

**_"That part doesn't matter. This is your Heart; you can do whatever the bloody Hell you please. A base for this little experiment to start won't be necessary."_** Sora narrowed his eyes.

"You sure? It seems like it would be kind of important, possibly too important to leave out…"

_**"Please. Are you implying that I'm trying to trick you?"**_

"All I'm saying is I've been through too much to outright trust anyone or anything, and considering you're a disembodied voice…"

_**"Heh, alright boy, I'll admit you've got an adequate point. Why would you trust a voice in the first place?"**_

"You're familiar somehow. I don't know if it's a good familiar or a bad familiar, but considering I'm not dead yet I'm pretty sure I can take whatever you decide to throw at me. Besides, you're offering the chance to get back to Riku. I'm willing to take whatever risk to make sure he's alright."

_**"Three words for you kid: Single. Minded. Obsession. Oh well, hasn't gotten you killed yet. Now, if you're ready it's simply a matter of concentration. Pour your darker thoughts into a single cohesive vision."**_

"My darker thoughts? I'm not sure I have any…"

_**"Everyone has dark wishes Sora. Some are darker then others. Yours are probably cloaked in good intentions, which is why you can't identify them. Most Keyblade master's are. Tell me, what would you be willing to do for Riku, if he were ever really threatened?"**_

"I'd do whatever it took to save him."

_**"Really. Even harming an opponent who wasn't a Heartless?"**_

"…Yes."

**_"Harming more then one opponent who still retained possession of their Heart?"_**

"Yes."

**_"Would you let the Darkness take them, just as it has taken Riku, Ansem, and Atosaki before?"_**

"Yes!"

**_"Would you kill?"_**

"YES! DAMMIT! I'D DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO PROTECT RIKU! THAT GOES FOR ALL OF MY FRIENDS! I'D DESTROY WHOEVER THREATENED THEM WITHOUT HESITATION!" The voice laughed.

**_"For a Keyblade master, the keeper of the balance between the Light and Darkness, it's doesn't get any darker then that." _**Sora could feel a kind of presence building in him, almost as if something was about to arrive.

**_"Now Sora! Reach out and take the manifestation of these thoughts that will bind you to your companions and your beloved. Take the Padlock that will seal your chain of fate!"_** Sora opened his eyes and grasped, almost out of reflex, as if he couldn't refuse what the voice was telling him. He felt what he had seized and stared at it for a long moment. Silvery light glinted off a small ornament of a simple Padlock on a chain.

His own personal Dark Key chain.

Again, as if he couldn't resist, he summoned his Keyblade (had he always been able to do that here?) and attached it swiftly.

The great Key morphed into its darker manifestation, Sora's dark promises infused in Padlock wrapping around its form and warping its appearance. The Key had a phenomenally long reach, immense strength, and powerful defense, however, it decreased Sora's magic greatly. It was starkly black, highlighted in silver, and its staff was a heavy chain wrapped around a saber. The handle looked like two feathers that were locked together by the same chain. The teeth of the Key also looked like feather bound to the chain on the staff.

As Padlock came into being for the first time, Sora felt the balance of his own Heart even out. No longer did he feel as if he was about to be consumed, everything felt…right. He felt as if he'd reach equilibrium within himself.

**_"Now so long as you alternate between that Key and Hallowed Crystal you shouldn't have any more problems as far as your Keyblade is concerned. You should return to the battle now, before things get even more out of hand then they are."_**

"Will I be able to use this dark Key against the Heartless? I mean, they're shadows, why would this Key work on them?"

**_"Hmm. Since a Key master is a balance consisting of more Light then Darkness, their 'Dark' Key can be more accurately described as being closer to Twilight then true Darkness. It'll kill Heartless just fine. _Trust_ me."_**

"You never did tell me who you were?" Sora pointed out a moment later.

**_"And I'm not going to. Don't worry, Ansem knows who I am. Doesn't know I've contacted you and he doesn't like me very much, but he knows I'm trustworthy at the very least. He'll probably identify me when you mention this, as I have no doubt you will. Now, return to your place Keyblade Master, and fight the Darkness!"_**

Sora felt the blinding white light around him fade to a more manageable degree, before it faded even further ad he could _feel_ himself returning to his body. Just as he had almost completely faded, the voice called out once again.

**_"Oh! Almost forgot! If you truly want a big step in the right direction, make sure to ask Ansem about the 'King of Spades,' and maybe mention the 'Jack of Diamonds' for good measure! Good luck and battle hard!"_**

A/N: Yeah, and that's it for chapter 27. And as I mentioned earlier I won't be updating for several weeks. Sorry again. I will continue, don't ever fear me dropping this story as I've invested too much time in it to stop now!


	28. Chapter the 28th

A/N: GROAN…. (Dies and falls into a terrible twitching mass. Moogle appears and phoenix downs her) Oh my God, I'm so sorry this is so late! I know I said it would be weeks before I updated, but this was more then I planned for. I had two major occurrences approaching the last time I updated, so I intended to get through one and update, wait a while to get through the next and then pick up my schedule again. However, Things happened and I waited for both events to pass, so the good news is that I should be just about back to normal. If anyone is still reading this, we're (Finally!) up to chapter 28! Oh, Yes I've played both KH2 (Beaten! I LOVE Organization 13!) and seen the wonderful Advent Children, however you've nothing to fear, NO spoilers here!

Review Responses: (I think I might start to try and email responses and those who I can't email I'll continue to answer in here. Just a heads up.)

**_Shadow1Flame_**- Heh, you were the ONLY person who guessed correctly that it was indeed Kagi Sora was talking to. Congratulations! Your teacher drowned you in HW? I know the feeling… Ooh! You'll give me cake!

**_Chany_**- glad you're enjoying yourself! And thank you, career considered and in the process of being pursued. That was, to me, a very high compliment.

**_Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodisiac_**- Yep, Hallowed Crystal was Light… and yes it was a bit of a filler XD but it needed to be done. Riku's good-coated darkness is like whipped cream covered chocolate (drool). Your friends call you fish? I have a friend that says 'fish' a lot. Don't really know why…

**_KanashimiSAdNeSs_**- You read all 27 chapters in one go! O.o Oh my… You're a far better person then me; I couldn't sit still for that long! OH! CAKE! (Gobbles happily) Thank you!

**_Yamibakeru_**- Yeah the voice in Sora's head is a _little_ crazy. But it's a good thing. Yeah making the dark key was easy, and though I considered making it a form of torture, I'm really just trying to get these boys from point A to point B. Not force them to sit in traffic for nine hours, only make left turns, and have a broken AC in 100-degree weather… Okay I'm finished. The point is they have plenty of hardship ahead, and my purpose in this disaster is to get them through it. Blegh. I know DiZ is the real Ansem, but Xehanort's Heartless will always be the best one!

**_Kimahaku Akari_**- You read all 27 chapters at once! Oh, wow! You people are impressive! Oh! Cookies! (Munch, munch…) There _does_ need to be more LxC! I'd happily read anything you wrote!

**_Darkblade Wielder_**- You can laugh _and_ jump for joy at the mystery guy you know . Of course Sora is alive! No story without him!

**_Karise-Paisley92005_**- You can't remember the theory? XD I can't really either. Sorry. I think you're in the right frame of mind for the Ansem and Mickey part of the equation, but that's all I can say, but Sora certainly needed a shove in the right direction. Uh oh! I hope you weren't late for work!

**_gowb_**- Hello Nikore! Don't worry, you can't beat me at laziness. Hope this update makes you happy too!

**_Kandrisia_**- You like the 'Single. Minded. Obsession.'? Cool. You can't deny it's true though! And yes he _finally_ has his dark Keyblade!

**_Phantom Fox_**- The conversation with the voice was fun to write XD. I'm not really sure why Satoshi scares me. He just…does. Heh, I've met the guy who plays his voice in the dub, name O' Greg Ayres. Really funny guy, looks kind of odd. Krad scares me too, but, Satoshi for some reason…(shudders). You're friend's cosplaying Krad? Excellent! Good luck! Ooh! Hair dye! A wig would be good but ones that work are so hard to find…

**_Kingdomhearts222_**- Of course Sora would get anyone who tried to kill Riku! What would he do without him?

**_Angel Born of Darkness_**- heh, that summarization basically says it all! Now lets see if they can ever get there!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last Time: **Sora felt the blinding white light around him fade to a more manageable degree, before it faded even further and he could _feel_ himself returning to his body. Just as he had almost completely faded, the voice called out once again.**

**_"Oh! Almost forgot! If you truly want a big step in the right direction, make sure to ask Ansem about the 'King of Spades,' and maybe mention the 'Jack of Diamonds' for good measure! Good luck and battle hard!"_**

Riku hacked through another wave of the Heartless guiltlessly, tearing them apart as if they were little more then tissue paper. Like they were no more important, dangerous, or significant then tissue paper. His body worked tirelessly, mindlessly, as if he was chopping wood instead of killing shadows. Every movement had become mechanical; there was no life to it, other then the fact that it was dealt by a living body.

Riku's mind had long since seemed to detach from the movements of his body, and divided itself in two. One part of him, calculated, schemed, and decided exactly what he was going to do as soon as he killed all these shadows. The other part of his brain had curled into itself and started dying for the loss of Sora. The calculating part of Riku did it's best to ignore the grieving half, knowing that as soon as it had accomplished it's task the dying side would override the whole mind.

Riku knew he should be exhausted, as he was continually slicing through Heartless without any form of pause at all, but he couldn't feel the weariness of his body anymore. Actually, he couldn't feel anything at all.

The charge of Light Sora had left behind had yet to detonate, but it was obviously growing stronger, pulsing and humming and glowing and it was only a matter of time before the fruits of Sora's last sacrifice washed the face of this world clean of Heartless. It would probably kill him too. Too bad he no longer cared.

His mind acknowledged that he had a Keyblade, a terribly powerful one at that, but he could process that fact no further. If he had the Keyblade then Sora was really gone, then he was bound the same path that had eventually led to Sora's death. That there was really nothing left for him except the Darkness and the war. That was a truth he couldn't cope with yet, so he ignored it as best he could.

He wasn't sure what had happened to Ansem, Leon, Cloud, Yuffie, Aeris, Cid, or Vincent, but he couldn't find it in him to care, not yet. They were he friends, and they'd kept him safe when he'd been waiting for Sora. As soon as this fight was over, as soon as he could think of something other then the gaping hole where his heart had been, then he would worry for them, help them, or…grieve for losing them. But not now, there wasn't room in his mind for that now.

Riku wasn't sure what he should be feeling at this moment, other then the gut wrenching grief. Was there anything left to feel? Some corner of Riku's mind wanted to know exactly when the confident teenager he'd been a long time ago had been replaced with such a dependant, needy, child. He wasn't sure if it was possible to hate himself any more then he already did.

Suddenly, an unexpected sensation caught his attention. He paused in his massacring the Heartless, trying to figure it out. The realization hit like lightning, and it was just as painful. What was left of Sora's using Hallowed Crystal, was fading! Sora's last light was going out!

Riku turned and ran, frantic and frightened, to where the powerful source of light glowed. As certain as the Darkness, the light was beginning to dim, the pulses becoming farther and farther apart, the humming down to a dull thrum. It was still, however, a mighty power and Riku gasped for breath simply approaching it. He could practically _breathe_ Sora's being, as this light was very much of the brunet.

And Riku could feel it dying.

"No!" He whispered, his voice hoarse with the energy that flowed around him and through him. "Please! I can't lose him again! Don't leave!" He was almost upon the Light now, and his skin _itched_ and _ached_ with the proximity to such absolute force.

Riku felt the pulse beat a few more times, and then it seemed to be suspended… And he _knew_, Riku just _knew_ that it was about to go out, and to Riku's mind, it was almost the same as losing Sora again, and that was just not something he'd be able to handle and live to speak of it.

"Sora!" He yelled, running full-out despite the power pumping through him, almost painfully now, and despite the fact that he didn't even know if there was anything he could do to keep it alive.

Riku was terrified. It was as simple as that. It wasn't however, the scream-out-loud fear, it wasn't the wet-your-pants scared, and it wasn't frightened-to-a-degree-of-paralysis. It was like watching some gruesome accident happen to a loved one, like just watching and waiting for a sick friend to die, knowing that after the inevitable took place, there was nothing left beyond it.

Riku had reached the spot Sora had vanished upon, the power so great that his vision blurred, his knees buckled, his skin itched, and his heart _tha-rumped_ painfully in his chest. There was no noise, but his ears were ringing so loudly he wouldn't have been able to tell otherwise. He opened his mouth, tried to call 'Sora,' but no sound emerged; it was almost as if his voice had been absorbed by the Light.

Riku could feel it, Sora's remaining Light was fading fast and he didn't know if there was anything that he could do. Then -Oh Great Light this was it!- it was almost as if someone had taken hold of a dial and turned the power down, down, down, _down._

"NO!" Riku _screamed_ and without thinking, _thrust_ his arms into the fading Light, as if he could catch it, hold, keep it with him always. As soon as he moved he knew what he'd done was foolish, he'd be burned alive, incinerated. How could he have possibly thought he could've caught such indescribable power?

Imagine his surprise when he did catch something. A very solid, and very person shaped, and very willing to hug back something. Riku could feel the Light completely dissipate and vanish, but it didn't matter because there was definitely _someone_ in his arms. His eyes were tightly clenched shut, and it was all he could do to just clamp his hands around the body, pull it tightly against him and hold on. He heard the happy, amused chuckle from right by his left ear.

"I just _knew_ you'd catch me Riku." And -_oh dear Light!- _it was Sora's voice and Riku's eyes were open and sure enough, there was the blue-eyed teen, grinning at him and looking as pricelessly _Sora_ as ever. Riku couldn't say anything to that. What was there to say? What series of words could possibly describe how relieved and deliriously happy he was?

The phrase popped into his head without warning -I love you- but he quashed the urge to speak those words aloud. Sora had just returned, almost like back from the dead! He wouldn't ruin this perfect moment with those words. So he just hung onto his best friend, and cried happily, his mind calling him a weak child all the way, but he was too joyous to care.

Sora only held him, just as tightly too, and Riku could've sworn that the brown-haired teenager was crying as well… Wait! Brown hair?

The silver-haired teen pulled back suddenly and got a good look at his friend. Sure enough, Sora's hair was no longer the ominous, tinge of shadow, but the same cheerful cinnamon it had been before all this Keyblade mess started.

"You- Your back to normal!" Riku breathed, his eyes wide and a slow grin breaking over his face. Sora smiled a grin that matched his, and nodded.

"I am indeed! Got everything sorted out when I was, ah, 'incapacitated,' if you can believe it."

"But how? What happened?" Riku questioned breathlessly. It was almost too good to be true. The brunet opened his mouth to respond, but he closed it with a glanced over Riku's shoulder, before he opened it again and said something else.

"Maybe this isn't the time or place for this discussion." Riku turned his head to see what prompted this remark, and was reminded that they were on a battlefield full of Heartless. Much as he wanted to hear Sora's explanation -Oh, desperately!- he was inclined to agree with his friend.

"Then maybe we should do something about it, say, _make_ it a good place for this discussion?" Riku's question, asked with such an _arrogant_ twist to it, caught Sora a little off-guard, as the silver-haired boy could tell from his friend's expression. He couldn't help it though, really! He just felt so _good _all of a sudden. He hadn't felt this happy and like his old self in such a long time it was hard to suppress his aloof mannerisms and habits, too hard. It'd been a very, very long time since he'd felt the urge to act this way at all, how could he possibly deny it now? Sora had just, for all intents and purposes, come back from the _dead!_ How could he possibly act like he wasn't the happiest man the world had ever produced?

His brunet friend seemed to pick up on this fact (Sora had always been good at interpreting him) and matched his mischief-making grin with one of his own ridiculously happy, face-breaking smiles he was so famous for.

"Alright then Riku! We do seem to have _two_ Keyblades ready to be put to the punch, and we _both_ have new Keys that eager to prove themselves, no?" Riku could only nod, still beaming his eager-to-meddle expression, not even bothering to question how Sora knew he had a Keyblade, or that Sora himself seemed to have acquired a new Key himself (the missing piece at that!).

"It seems you're right, and we have more then enough eager subjects here willing to be tested upon…" Riku let that sentence taper off before continuing. "Besides, it looks like we still have to overthrow this 'Monarch of Darkness.'" The silver-haired teen gestured to J E N O V A, who stood a fair distance away, still surrounded by her bubbling and overflowing Heartless.

"I do believe you're right Riku!" Sora responded cheerfully, "Can't have that! And afterwards we have to collect our party which seems to have been forcibly split apart."

"Hey! We're still here! It's not like we abandoned you!" Sora and Riku both whipped around to face the speaker and were met with a… unexpected sight. Yuffie was grinning at them, held up parallel to the ground by what looked to be a very large, very ferocious, and very purple Heartless. For a moment the two male teens could only stare in shock at the large violet beast, standing on two legs with large horns on its head, and a shock of red mane on it's back, and a long muscled tail.

"Okay, you can put me down now Vinnie!" She told the creature cheerfully, which did just as she asked, careful not to touch the slight girl with its claws.

" _That's Vincent?"_ Sora asked incredulously.

"Did you know he could do that?" Riku whispered to his friend, who shook his head dumbly. They both stared at the monstrous creature for a moment before the beast nodded its large head once, curtly, in a very _Vincent _gesture.

"I'll take it for true, as this is not the strangest thing that's happened today." Sora muttered.

"It's Vinnie's Limit Break, named Galian Beast. You've what, four monsters in total, right?" She asked the last part to the creature, which again nodded in a very Vincent way.

"Interesting. Would you let me observe this phenomenon more closely after this is over? I could swear I've seen this shape somewhere before…" A new voice interrupted, and the four newly-reunited turned to face a very weary-but-curious Ansem, an ominous-as-ever Eclipse, and a very irritated and haggard looking Cid who carried an unconscious but unharmed Aeris.

"You guys are okay!" Sora grinned enthusiastically. Ansem and Eclipse shared an identical smirk while Cid just shook his fist at Sora.

"You're one to talk Mr. I'm-going-to-destroy-myself-and-try-to-save-everyone-by-using-my-psycho-evil-Keyblade-that-likes-to-blow-shit-up!" Sora only grinned, not denying the accusation. Suddenly an over-eager Shadow Heartless jumped at the party, Sora knocking it aside easily with a swipe of the Keyblade. The creature righted itself on the ground and made to come at them again, only to be expertly speared through by a Gunblade dropped from above. A split second later, Cloud, Heartless wing fully unfurled, landed on the ground holding a very battle-beaten Leon.

Sora grinned knowingly at them as Cloud carefully set Leon on the earth, letting the gothic man retrieve his thrown weapon. "Don't count us out either." The blond confirmed, Leon nodding firmly with this statement. Sora smiled in acceptance.

"Whoa, spiky! Where'd you get the wing?" Yuffie whistled appreciatively. Cloud stared at the ground a moment, seemingly ashamed. He'd momentarily forgotten that his actions to save Leon had revealed his true taint to the group. Leon set a supportive hand on his arm and gave the blond a silent nod. Cloud smiled weakly in thanks.

"I'll explain once this battle is finished." He promised.

"Seems there's a lot of explaining to be done." Sora stated, speaking of himself, Cloud, and Vincent while sending a pointed look to a mock-innocent looking Ansem. Vincent-as-Galian-Beast suddenly growled low and dashed forward, striking down an approaching Heartless with a merciless slash of teeth and fangs.

"Alas, there are matters to conclude." Ansem sighed. "Things are business as usual." And with that he dashed forward to battle, Eclipse following and set to crushing the opposition. Galian beast dashed off afterward, roaring formidably, Yuffie sprinting after in its wake. Leon and Cloud banded up in a ferocious combination of whirling blades and flying spells, while Cid defended himself and Aeris with easy strikes and sweeps of his spear. It seemed, Riku noted, that somehow they'd all recovered their strength and vitality.

Huh, strange considered how on-the-ropes they were not long before. Maybe, like him, it was the joy of having Sora back. Riku smiled to himself, as that certainly was enough to energize any soul. Especially when Sora was grinning at him with one of those happy-knowing-mischievous-let's-go-get em' smiles.

"Hey Riku, what's your Keyblade's name?" He asked, summoning his own Keyblade, which the silver-haired teen noticed was equipped as a very ominous looking Key he'd never seen before. Riku responded with the same smile in kind and called-forth his own Key, swinging it easily.

"Locksmith. What's yours?"

"Padlock." Riku grinned at the name.

"So it's Padlock and Locksmith that'll be winning this battle eh?"

"Not just this battle! They're going to win this whole war!" Sora proclaimed.

"Well then let's go!" Riku invited, Sora nodding in agreement and the two friends dashed swiftly forward to face J E N O V A, the Heartless, and whatever she decided to call forth, not scared in the least.

A/N: And chapter 28 is over whoohoo! It may be a little longer then the normal week I usually try to update within, as I basically haven't been able to write anything for this since I last updated several months ago. Also: **_IMPORTANT NOTE MUST READ!_** From this point there are two ways the story could go, or I should say there are two events that it doesn't matter which one comes first. One way the story could go brings the yaoi before any more overly drastic plot development. The other gets some more plot working and then goes to the yaoi. Both will happen but I could go either way. Obviously if the yaoi happens first then Sora and Riku will do interesting things with one another and if the plot happens first then we get the FF9 characters in before the yaoi. Please send your thoughts, 'cause though I have a pretty good idea what you'll want to see I figured I should leave the decision up to you readers.


	29. Chapter the 29th

A/N: Geez! WHY can't I ever seem to update on time? I meant to do it yesterday or the day before but the time got away from me! Anyhow, it's chapter 29! **_Here are the voting results:_** the want for yaoi beat out plot by 6 votes to 3. Sorry those of you who wanted plot, I promise I'll keep it interesting. Thanks as always for the input! I can always you your advice!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Reviews I couldn't Respond to:

**_Nikore Strife_**- I like writing that line for Cid. I think he was sufficiently put out. Sorry about not being able to stick in the FF9 characters so soon if you read the notice above. I promise they'll be here though!

**_Terre-chan_**- Hey there! Thanks for not making me guess your new name. You may remember a bit of a fiasco with that earlier XD. The battle will conclude before anything else happens, then we can move forward again!

Last Time: **"Well then let's go!" Riku invited, Sora nodding in agreement and the two friends dashed swiftly forward to face J E N O V A, the Heartless, and whatever she decided to call forth, not scared in the least.**

Sora sliced though three Heartless in a single swing, knocking several more away to the left where they were promptly slashed by Riku. The brown haired Keyblade master swung the weapon easily around for a moment, before sending a swift nod to his friend. Then, their movements synchronized as if rehearsed, they cast Firaga, incinerating a large cloud of shadows near them. The blue eyed young man couldn't help but grin at his friend. They made quite the formidable duo.

Sora spared a split second to see how their friends were faring. Cloud and Leon (Sora laughed at them mentally for sorting out their attraction to one another on a horrible battleground of all places) made a terrible force to be reckoned with. In a blaze of swirling blades, firing shots, and tumbling magic, they decimated any shadow that came within their range.

Yuffie and Vincent were really going for the gold as well. Vincent was just as strong as the Galien beast as he was normally, twice and brutal, and he far more merciless. Yuffie, it seemed, was doing just as well as her animalistic companion. Her Conformer flew swiftly and fearlessly, cutting a neat path around her, and always returning to her grip, only to be tossed again.

Ansem and Eclipse… were doing what they seemed to do best: tearing things to pieces. Eclipse was a flurry of slivery-black shadow, flowing over and around his master as if he were a being made of liquid. Ansem matched his guardian burst for burst, conquering everything he spotted.

Cid was doing well, considering he had to keep himself and his unconscious charge alive. His spear was cyclone of whirring fury, all directed at the ever-approaching shadows. Wordlessly Sora returned his attention to the battle…Just in time to slash away a Heartless hurled by his eager friend.

Riku practically howled with enthusiasm, grinning like a psychopath and moving like dancer. A dancer who had a very powerful, very dark, and very uncontrolled weapon. Sora knew he should probably warn him about the danger of over-using his new Key, but what could he say to dampen the face of such exuberance? Well he'd just have to watch him more closely. Sora grinned unto himself. _No problems there…_

With a well-deserved feeling of triumph, Sora also noted that there were no Crusaders to be seen anywhere. Apparently Atosaki, or J E N O V A now, realized the futility of using them. Now that just left every single other Heartless here…

And speaking of J E N O V A… Where on earth did that witch get to? Sora paused in his slashing long enough to cast Thundaga, sweeping the area around him clean for a moment. Then he swiftly turned 360 degrees, looking for the summoner of these shadows. She wasn't hard to miss

Even standing a long way off she was like a beckon of darkness. She was waiting for them, Sora could tell. Her shape, appearing smaller due to great distance, paced back and forth, leaking shadows. _Fine then_ Sora grouched mentally _We'll just have to go to you._

"Riku!" He shouted to his friend, though the silver haired boy couldn't have been more then twenty feet away. Riku whirled to face his friend, expression shinning with excitement and confidence. _Ah, _Sora sighed to himself _old Riku is back._ Wordlessly he pointed to the being across the battleground. His friend grinned at him and took off running before Sora had a chance to move.

The Keyblade master sighed with mock-exasperation, and sped after his best friend. He really had missed Riku's boundless confidence and enthusiasm, last seen before he got the idea of other worlds in his head so long ago. Though Sora would take sad, worrisome Riku over no Riku at all any day… He'd really missed his best friend.

He caught up with his companion rather quickly, though he had a sneaking suspicion it was only because his friend let him. The turquoise-eyed boy had always been faster.

Their swift steps ate up the distance between them and their adversary rather quickly. They mostly swerved around the Heartless in their path or vaulted over them with a flying leap, only attack those too big to jump and too dangerous to try and sidestep.

Sora was overcome with a sense of déjà vu, (hadn't they _just_ been sprint towards this same enemy not so long ago?) and was all the more determined to bring this challenge down this time. He didn't doubt that Riku's thoughts mirrored his own.

A sudden impact sent him sprawling over a length of ground he'd just covered, his friend's worried cry of alarm ringing in his ears as he tumbled over the ground. He rolled to his feet with an experienced step, as if he'd done such a thing many times before, and faced the one who'd attacked him.

J E N O V A smirked sinisterly at him. "I got tired of waiting."

"Sorry to waste your time!" Riku mock-apologized, and swung his Key with staggering force, testament to the fact that even this being of Darkness herself was forced back a few steps before holding her ground against the fury of the blow. Sora by this time was also ready to strike and did so with the same strength Riku had shown, marveling at the power of their Keyblades. This time J E N O V A wasn't prepared to block and took the blow full-on. She flew backwards landing in a crouching position and sliding for a few yards. She looked up and was greeted with the sight of two gleaming Keyblades arching down for a finishing blow.

It landed dead on.

The being screamed with the pain of the twin attack, flying backwards again, shadows leaking haphazardly from her battered form. She tumbled over and over again, until coming to a dead stop, lying on her back and breathing hard. She bled from several different wounds; the out-pouring of shadows had dulled to a mere trickle, the random shadow Heartless crawling off every now and then.

Sora and Riku approached slowly, not quite sure what to make of their seemingly apparent swift-achieved victory. J E N O V A opened her eyes hazily from where she lay prone.

"Go on then you fools. Kill me. Take my life if you think it will stem the tide." Sora wasn't sure how to respond to a demand like that. However, an unforeseen series of events prevented him form having to make that choice.

"NEVER!" tore through the noise of battle, the shout very out-of-place. Before Sora could fully register what had happened, a young man leaped from almost out of nowhere, dressed in formal black clothing with sandy hair and yellow-brown eyes. "I will not permit you to do any such thing to Lady Atosaki."

"Fukuju you insolent fool!" J E N O V A shouted, trying to lift herself up from the ground. "You'll die for no reason defending me, by either his hand or mine! I'm _not_ that foolish child Atosaki. I'm the one whose consumed her Heart and soul. You're only getting this one chance to fix your mistake. I care not if you live or die."

"There's no mistake, my Lady. I swore that I would give up my Heart defending what we hope to achieve and you claiming to be another will never change that."

"I'm not simply _claiming_! I _am_ J E N O V A!" Fukuju simply gave a sad, tired smile at her, before turning to face a very confused Sora and a totally dumbfounded Riku.

"Who are _you?" _Sora demanded, not entirely sure what had just happened.

"I am Fukuju. Subordinate to the Lady Atosaki, and sworn to the cause of unleashing Darkness upon the cosmos so we may begin anew. You are the heretics who seek to stop us from realizing Lady Atosaki's dream."

Wait," Riku cut in "What do you mean, 'us?'" A new voice entered at this point.

"He means we who are loyal to the Darkness as the only true means of renewal of the corrupted." A child with deep blue hair in a small tail, golden-hazel eyes, and a sleeveless green shirt and green pants sprinted onto the picture, placing himself squarely between Sora and Riku and Fukuju and J E N O V A.

"Engi! What are you doing here?" Fukuju demanded. The child made a dismissing noise.

"We _all_ came to help. The doctor said that until Lady Atosaki had time to settle into her new disposition she'd be too weak to properly defend herself. So we came to help!" The boy's eyes flashed yellow as he grinned.

"You've had your fix of shadows again so soon, Engi?" Fukuju whispered nervously. "You can't go without for very long now…"

"Wait a minute!" Riku sounded absolutely alarmed. "You're taking the Darkness directly into your own body? A _child_ is -." He was abruptly cut off as a blast from the side interrupted him, leaving a smoldering crater in the ground.

"I do believe you should be concerned with your own well-being," another new-comer stated "and less for the health of the ones who will defeat you one day." Sora glared at the grinning newcomer, who was accompanied by a silent and angry looking man, leery of taking his eyes off Riku, as his friend was severely shaken by what he'd learned the child was doing. The man was tall, had wavy black hair that was captured in a tail down his spine, tied off at three places on the way down. He had dark red eyes, the color of dried blood that glinted yellow when reflecting light. He wore a long coat that was a pale blue color, over a black buttoned shirt and form-fitting sable pants. He wore heavy boots, black gloves, a broad rimmed hat, and there was a small modified Heartless insignia embroidered on the breast of his shirt. His silent companion had short red hair dull golden eyes that reflected great disinterest. He wore plain but utterly pristine white clothes which flowed seamlessly together, almost as if it were one article. It seemed to wrap loosely around his neck, fold over his torso like a shirt, and spilt into a pair of pants. He had no sleeves, but he did wear long white gloves, as well as tall, lightweight shoes. The modified Heartless emblem was displayed on the backs of both gloves.

"Who are you then?" Sora demanded, not liking how quickly the situation had deteriorated. He and Riku had gone from being against one enemy to five in the space of five minutes. Not good.

"The name's Nazo, if you're that curious. The other guy here is Utagau. And for the record, ya' hit me, I'll hit ya' back, so just keep your punches to yourselves alright?" Sora ground his teeth at the odd man, not having any other real option. He and Riku were drastically outnumbered now, and they had no way to gauge their opponent's strength. If one of them decided to attack he and Riku, who knew how well they'd fare? Not to mention if another fight did break out, Riku would be forced to use his Keyblade more, and as he was extremely unstable…it just wasn't an option.

He was however, saved again from having to make a possibly disastrous decision. Fukuju lifted J E N O V A effortlessly into his arms, despite her vocal and violent protesting. Engi skipped about energetically.

"Okay Nazo, Utagau!" He called cheerfully. "We've got her!" The smirking man tipped his hat politely at Sora and Riku.

"Well then, got what we came for! Might as well make like a baby and head out." He waved loosely and turned to stand close to Fukuju, Utagau, and Engi. "But you can bet we'll be seeing you all again. War to conclude and all that jazz." He then nodded to Fukuju who snapped his fingers. A large Wyvern swooped low and waited for the five to mount it, before shooting upward to a Gummi ship Sora hadn't even noticed hovering high above.

Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, all the Heartless just dissolved into nothingness, leaving a barren empty field, devoid of all life other then Sora and the rest of his party.

Looking over at his friends who were strewn apart over a wide space, Sora could see by their gobsmacked expressions they had no idea what had transpired. There was dead silence for a moment before they all wordlessly moved to congregate around Sora. When they were all assembled there was another round of silence, all of them to stupefied to say anything.

"So," Cloud's voice broke the silence "Care to tell us what exactly just happened?"

A/N: And that's it for chapter 29. It was short but at least stuff happened. Next chapter many of Sora's questions will be answered as Ansem makes good on his promise to explain now that the battle's over!


	30. Chapter the 30th

A/N: Why, oh WHY can't I ever update on time like I say I will? Sigh, well I finally did it. I finally finished Chapter freaking 30. Friggin' monumental (Waves tiny flag unenthusiastically). This chapter is _freaking_ LONG! DON'T GET USED TO IT! I just really wanted to blow Ansem's explanation out of the water and get it over with. It took FOR-EVER! But it's done and hopefully we can all move on now. Again, my apologies to anyone who's still bothering to read this thing. And this chapter is weird, sorry again, but I'm trying to get back into the feeling of this particular story. It's like trying to put on a leotard when your all wet. Not so easy.

_Big_,big thanks to all who reviewed and there were a lot of you! I got a bunch from people well after the usual time when readers tend to review. Those were a huge dose of motivation to get my butt on the computer and keep typing, so big thanks to everyone. It _really_ was appreciated.

Last Time: **"So," Cloud's voice broke the silence "Care to tell us what exactly just happened?"**

Sora sighed softly at Cloud's question. "I'd really like to know that myself." He glanced around a few moments, quickly taking in the expressions of his friends, trying to see what they thought of the newest hitch in their plans.

His heart clenched painfully at the sight of Riku. He'd just recovered a bit of his old infectious spark, and now… He looked something akin to who he'd been before. Sora hoped he'd recover though, but he knew the shock his friend must be feeling, and couldn't imagine the struggle he was going through. The fact that another person, a mere _child,_ was allowing the Darkness free reign of his body scared him, for the silver-haired knew all-to-well the dangers that came along with that. Riku wasn't scared of the possibility of more opponents to face down; he was terrified that another person could come upon the same misfortune that _he_ had.

Cloud looked utterly baffled, caught somewhere between worry and frustration. Leon, who had a companionable arm around the blonde's shoulders, looked ready to march right back out there (if any Heartless had been left) and kill something. He looked downright _pissed_. Not a good thing.

Yuffie was leaning heavily on Galian Beast, who'd yet to revert into Vincent, and though she didn't seem to be injured or overly exhausted, she did appear to be rather overwhelmed. Vincent-as-Galian-Beast had hunkered down into a low crouching position, almost seeming calm were it not for the agitated little growls rolling off him, and the aggravated flicking of his tail. Cid still had an unconscious Aeris with him. She was laid flat on the ground, his jacket providing the small amount of cushioning it could, and the pilot was sprawled next to her in a sitting position. To Sora's surprise, Ansem gestured at Eclipse, who hovered low and picked her up off the tough earth to rest limply in his arms.

"That has to be better then the ground." Was all the platinum haired man said. Ansem and Eclipse didn't look to worse for the wear, or all that surprised. Which brought Sora to something he'd been waiting to do for a long time…

"I believe I was promised a whole world of explanations." He demanded quietly. "To much is going on anymore to not know." Ansem nodded in agreement.

"You're absolutely right. I only hope I didn't wait to long to tell you all this." He sighed and remained quiet for a moment. Then he continued speaking. "Any particular place you'd like me to start?" Sora chewed on his fingernail for a moment, trying to decide on a good question to ask. A stream of words flowed into his memory unbidden.

_"Oh! Almost forgot! If you truly want a big step in the right direction, make sure to ask Ansem about the 'King of Spades,' and maybe mention the 'Jack of Diamonds' for good measure! Good luck and battle hard!"_

The strange voice's suggestion seemed a good a place to start as any. There was also the fact that the voice had mentioned Ansem would know who he was.

"Alright, I know what I want to ask first." Sora said steadily. Ansem nodded. "When I was nearly destroyed due to over-use of Hallowed Crystal, an odd voice talked to me, working me through the process of forging Padlock, my dark Key. He said that you would know who he was, Ansem, and to mention a 'King of Spades' and a 'Jack of Diamonds.'" Sora noticed that with almost every word he said Ansem's posture had become more and more tense and irritated.

"And I'll bet he said just that, the bastard." Ansem ground out between clenched teeth. Sora's eyes widened.

"You do know who it is!" He exclaimed.

"Wait, you were listening to a voice in your _head_?" Riku asked incredulously, abandoning his worries long enough to take part in the conversation. Ansem continued before Sora could retort.

"Of course I know who it is, and I'll say it again: the _bastard_. I really, _really_, hate that man."

"Alright, you hate him, we _got_ that part, now _who is he!"_ Sora demanded, Ansem sighed with an 'Oh-Light-why-_me_' expression and forged ahead.

"His name is Kagi. He's the King of Hearts."

"Who's the-?"

"Ah ah! No! You asked that question first and in doing set the order in which I'll answer. Shut up and listen."

"He said almost the exact same thing." Sora grouched, getting a little perverse satisfaction when Ansem's eye twitched. He proceeded anyhow.

"All Keyblade masters have a period of time in which they wield the Keyblade, forging new Keys and battling the Darkness that seeks to conquer all worlds. You know this much. That is called a Key bearer's 'reign' if you will: the time they lord over the balance of Light and Darkness." Sora nodded.

"That's easy enough to understand." Ansem smirked at that.

"Just wait, it gets worse. Most of what I'm about to tell you are all things you really should've known since the early stages of receiving the Keyblade. However, because of the ones who reigned before you, everything was far amiss from what it should have been."

"You mean because of you." Riku muttered darkly, Ansem nodding softly in response.

"Yes, because of me. But here's what you didn't know: it was also due in part to the one who reigned at the same time I had."

"What do you mean by that? There's more then one Key master at the same time?" Sora wondered around his thumbnail.

"You and Riku are aren't you?" Ansem retaliated with an arched eyebrow. Sora gave a swift, smiling glance at his friend, only to be met with one of the same.

"Oh yeah, sorta forgot about that." Ansem rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, another started reigning while I still had possession of a Keyblade, something previously unheard of. I have no doubt this was because about the time he joined the battle, I had begun to be consumed by the Darkness in my own heart. So, naturally, because a void was appearing even though a Key bearer was still in power, another would have to join the fray. That person, who counter balanced my reign of shadows was the good King Mickey."

"The King!" Everyone in the group chorused in one utterance, degrees of surprise palpable in their voices. Ansem made an affirmative noise.

"Yes. Now this _almost_ brings us to your first question, Sora, about the King of Spades and Jack of Diamonds. As Kagi was the King of Hearts, so too have all following Key masters adopted a title of playing-card royalty, as a kind of self-humbling mockery I bet Kagi would call it. I am the King of Clubs and Mickey was the Jack of Hearts."

"He would be a 'heart' card." Riku murmured to himself absently, mind straying to his memories when he was with the King in Kingdom Hearts. Ansem nodded.

"He is a good person, and I'm sorry he had to spend his time making sure I didn't botch things even more. A Keyblade bearer's time with the Key shouldn't be spent fixing other Key bearer's mistakes." He drew breath. "The reason I'm not surprised Kagi mentioned the two titles that he did to you is simple if you've ever met him: it's meddling at its very best, which was something he was rather known for. Something Mickey believed led to his, and my downfall. You see, the title you will bear is given to you, not chosen." He stared at Sora and Riku straight into their eyes for a moment, unblinking.

"The King of Spades is _you_ Sora, and Riku is the Jack of Diamonds."

"That's _us?"_ Riku's exclamation was incredulous, but Ansem was already moving on to other issues.

"As of yet, nearly all of the card royalty titles have been used, all we have left after your twin reign is the Queen of Hearts. Which means you and Riku have one Hell of a reputation to live up to: that of nine prestigious Keyblade bearers," he paused a moment "and one rather errant one whose fate you should try and avoid."

Sora rubbed the side of his head with his index finger idly, trying to process the information that had been offered thus far.

"I've got a question." Riku spoke suddenly drawing all eyes to him. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your order, but something's bothering me." Ansem nodded, urging him to continue.

"If the King of Hearts has already reigned, then how can he be talking with Sora? I'm mean, he's dead right? What-?" Riku was cut short by Ansem's barking laugh.

"Dead? Oh, if only. No he's still alive, or as 'alive' as a Key master who no longer rules can be."

"What do you mean?" Sora's question was hesitant.

"A Keyblade master who has finished their reign, or even just a Key bearer in general for that matter, is someone that exists as an autonomous force, outside the will of Light and Darkness. A Keyblade master cannot loose him or herself to Darkness, as Sora and Riku demonstrated a few years ago. Sora returning even after becoming a Heartless, and Riku resisted the shadows even after nearly being seduced by their power. Sora showed us all less then an hour ago that a Key master cannot be consumed by the Light either. Overpowered and suffer the loss of their Keyblade, yes, but not fully consumed."

"So there was no reason in the first place to fear the power of only having one of my Keyblades?" Sora wondered.

"Or my being eaten alive by the Darkness?" Riku followed quietly. Ansem nodded once.

"Yes, that's technically right, so long as you didn't mind the eventuality of loosing the Keyblade prematurely. Riku even had a visual aid. Remember how the Heartless logo on his chest when I possessed him was blank? He was resistant and wouldn't relinquish his heart." There was a quick pause before the former Heartless master picked right back up where he'd left off.

"So the rule still holds even after their power has passed to the next. A Key bearer that has finished his reign sits back in his Bastion, his mind and body resisting the forces of Light, Darkness, and even time, watching as the struggle continues, making sure everything runs smoothly; that if one Key bearer falls and must retire to his Bastion, the next is ready to step up to the job."

"Hang on a moment!" Sora felt consumed by a sense of frustrated inability; every time a question was asked, then answer only brought on more questions. "What do you mean by 'resists time,' and you used the word 'Bastion' rather specifically. Why?" Ansem sighed and began to pace as if trying to give his body an activity that would match the preoccupation of his mind.

"A Keyblade master who has passed on his control of the Key, or Keys now as it is, doesn't age, doesn't change in any way for that matter. They will remain exactly as they were during their reign, preserved in a sense, perfectly capable of functioning and making choices, but otherwise exactly the same." Suddenly Ansem abruptly shook his head. "No that's not entirely right. They become what they've always been, if you can understand that. Unfortunately I can't offer myself as an example, as I'm not exactly the 'normal' Keyblade master. Kagi is the best example, but that's not something anyone who knows what's happened is comfortable speaking about." Riku shook his head.

"That's a little far-fetched even for us. I mean, unchanging and ageless? Impossible, I don't buy it." Ansem shrugged.

"I could prove it to you, given time."

"Oh? How?" Riku's voice was dubious.

"By meeting Kagi. It's obviously what he was after in contacting Sora. I think he wants a message to be heard. Also, you could see what I meant by my previous statement on what he's become."

"Wait, wait a minute!" Sora waved his arms frantically. "We're getting _way_ ahead of ourselves! Before we even _think_ of moving from this spot I want everything answered, all of it. There's still a great deal I don't understand."

"And there are some things you may never understand Sora." Ansem murmured. "Being the Keyblade master isn't about having ultimate power over Light and Darkness, bending it effortlessly to your will. No, it is about decisions; about making difficult choices where all that should really matter is that the well-being of all the worlds is secure; it's about when the one door of opportunity is seized, another is closed forever. _That's_ a Keyblade master's role: making sure that the right door is chosen, and everything keeps spinning."

"So _that's_ what you meant." Sora murmured "You always spoke of the 'authority of the doors,' but it never made any sense until now." Ansem nodded.

"It's the most oft-used metaphor for a Key bearer." He sighed softly and pressed on. "You also asked about the Bastions, and you're right, it's very specific."

"I take it Hollow Bastion is somehow connected?" Riku asked. Ansem nodded.

"Indeed it is. All the previous Key masters have not been nearly as…nomadic, as you, Sora, and the King Mickey have been. Each of them has a stronghold, their 'Bastion,' a world created entirely and uniquely for that one specifically Keyblade master. This world, like the title given to the keeper of the Key, isn't created by the Key master. Instead it's born by the will of all the previous Keyblade bearers, made to suit the one who will inhabit it based upon what the ones who came before the current bearer know of what his reign is to be. My own is the Hollow Bastion of which you are already well aquatinted with. The King Mickey's is the Shallow Bastion, also known as the Kingdom Castle. And all the others have their own as well."

"So," Sora started tentatively "do Riku and I have 'Bastions' as well?" Ansem nodded.

"I can only assume so." There was a heavy silence that followed. "Anything else?" Sora made a thoughtful 'hmm' sounds and chewed his thumbnail softly.

"Nothing comes to mind, but I feel as if there's something big that I'm missing." Eclipse supported Aeris with a single arm for a moment to reach out and tap Ansem. The former Heartless master smiled at his guardian a moment before turning to Sora.

"Actually there is. Another reason I failed as a Keyblade master." Sora blinked at him.

"Oh? Care to inform us?"

"You know a Key master's struggle is with the Heartless and the Darkness and all that. You also know that most Keyblade bearers make a Key with a bearing of Light, but also chose to forge a Keyblade with a darker presence then their others. Now here's a question for you: how can a Keyblade master possibly fight the Darkness and harness it at the same time without disrupting the balance of things?" Ansem waited to see if Sora would answer. The brunet looked at Riku who shook his head silently and shrugged. Sora returned his stare to Ansem questioningly.

"The answer lies in conquering what is called a 'Destati,' _your_ Destati to be specific."

"And a 'Destati' would be what?" Riku asked.

"The word itself roughly translates to 'awaken' or something similar, and they are the living embodiment of a Keyblade master's Darkness, which _awakens_ when the bearer comes into their power. Not necessarily gains the Key, but is in the process of inheriting their authority. A Keyblade master cannot hope to forge their Dark Keyblade unless they have defeated their Destati. Which makes them even more likely to be consumed by their Light."

"But that's… not right…" Sora trailed off a moment. "Both Riku and I have our Dark Keyblades and we've never met, much less beaten-."

"Oh but you have." Ansem cut the teen off. "You Sora, have defeated yours several times." The blue eyed Key master looked blank. "Alright, do you happen to remember an entity called 'Darkside'?" Sora nodded slowly, making a bothered face.

"Yeah, I fought it a bunch."

"That was your Destati. Riku's, oddly enough, looked exactly like Darkside."

"It…did?" Riku looked about as confused as Sora was.

"Yes. In fact King Mickey conquered both Darkside and Riku's Destati when they were shut within Kingdom Hearts." Ansem told them solemnly. Sora eyes widened in realization.

"I remember! The door had been left open and two of those Darkside things appeared, but then they were destroyed by King Mickey!" The platinum haired man nodded in affirmation.

"Yes that's right. A Keyblade master had never destroyed another's Destati before, but that was the least of the strange Destati-related occurrences at that time."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked slowly.

"The Destati are marked by a large heart-shaped hole that goes through their bodies entirely." Ansem's response was quiet as if it answered everything.

"Huh? What is that supposed to mean? It doesn't explain… Riku?" Sora had started speaking, but stopped as he noticed his silver-haired friend had gone stock-still, eyes wide, and mouth slightly open.

"Sora," he whispered. "Eclipse has a heart-shaped hole in his abdomen." Sora blinked a moment, before his expression warped to match Riku's.

"Ansem, Eclipse is your-?" He didn't even finish the sentence. The orange-eyed man nodded softly.

"That was the start of my fall towards corruption in Darkness: falling in love with my own shadow. Had I not, well then maybe your twin reigns would be a little more manageable. But you know what? I'd do the same thing again if given the choice. Eclipse means more to me then all the words. That is why I couldn't be a proper master of the Keyblade." He chuckled hollowly and looked at Eclipse. "We always were a strange pair. You woke up much later then normal and I…Well the rest is history." Ansem's guardian floated closer to his master, a soft expression somehow conveyed through the harsh mouth and the tight bindings. There was a long moment of pause before the former Heartless master spoke again.

"Anything else you'd like to know?"

"I have a question." Vincent's sudden words surprised everyone and Sora even gave a shocked exclamation.

"Don't _do_ that! Geez!" Sora held a hand to his chest as if to calm his racing heart. "When did you turn back to normal anyway?" Vincent tilted his head minutely.

"About when you were discussing the door analogy." Ansem nodded in acceptance.

"I said I'd answer anything and that works for everyone here, not just Sora and Riku. But before I continue, what do all of you think about this? You've been rather silent." He paused only a moment "Another thing that sets our situation apart from almost all the other Keyblade master's, is that they never had outside assistance, or even let another being who was not a Key master know what is going on. I'm very interested to know your minds."

"It always gets harder." Cloud murmured. Sora glanced over at him to see the blonde swordsman staring at the horizon, a far-off expression on his face. "When you start a battle, everything usually seems so clear cut; the whole 'we're the heroes and we're going to stop the villains for _this_ reason.' But it's never the case is it?" He paused, but wasn't waiting for an answer. "When you're fighting you find out all sorts of things that can alter your judgement or affect your strength. When you find the perspective of the villain sometimes you may question your own motives. It feels even worse when you find out that everything on your _own_ side of battle isn't as crystal clear as you thought it would be." He gave a hollow laugh. "This was supposed to be the Light versus the Darkness. What was more straightforward then _that?_" Cloud shook his head.

"I guess what I mean is, that this is just another change in perspective for me. I'll need a little time to adjust to all this new information. It'll take some time, but I promise I'll get over it and help out." Sora caught Leon's semi-smile and nod of approval to the blonde, and decided he'd better stick his own two cents in where Cloud was concerned. The swordsman was smart, but if you didn't tell him to do something then sometimes it wouldn't get done

"The same goes for you as well Cloud." He began gently. "I may have known before hand, but everyone else has been given a 'new perspective' as you chose to word it, about yourself as well." The swordsman's eyes widened, and he glanced nervously at his outstretched Heartless wing.

"Oh! I'd forgotten, I-!" Leon's strong hand on his shoulder silenced his almost-rant.

"It's okay Cloud. You needn't worry about judgement, we all know you went through a bad patch when you left Hollow Bastion those years ago. And I'm the very last person who should lecture about making bad decisions." Cloud grinned warmly at the tall brunet. His expression held mild shock though when he took in the anger-less faces of his friends, all of which smiled understandingly at him, conveying a message of 'we understand and don't blame you.' Cloud cast his eyes to the side, a splash of red staining his cheeks.

"And you don't even know what I did." But he was smiling again now. Riku nudged Sora gently.

"I know when someone you consider a friend is suffering you want to do everything you can to straighten it out, and I respect that Sora, really, it's just that you've also developed a hell of a talent for totally losing the original subject." He grinned impishly at his brunet friend, who had the decency to look chagrined. Everyone else (except Vincent) was snickering (because he never snickers) as Sora turned back to the demon-man.

"Sorry Vincent!" The gothic gunman shrugged.

"It is fine. Cloud needed this burden lifted. He will perform better in battle now that he's free." He fixed his crimson stare back on Ansem. "My question is simple. You've explained the history of the predecessors of yourself, Riku, and Sora… But what of the History of the war itself? Obviously the first Keyblade masters were not idle; what did they do? Where did the Darkness come from? Why did the conflict start? Why _now? _Why these particular people? Even this 'Eye of the Storm' is far too deeply in tuned to the shadows to be mere coincidence." There was a very long pause following Vincent's questions, so long Sora wondered for a moment if Ansem was even going to answer. Eventually his orange eyes met Vincent's red and he spoke.

"A good deal of what you ask… All of it really… Is due to, or connected to Kagi, the King of Hearts and first master of the Keyblade. It's creator as well."

"Wait, the King of Hearts created the Keyblade?" Sora's question was breathless. The former Heartless master only nodded before he continued.

"His circumstances were rather similar to my own, in fact, it was his research and Eclipse's presence that started me on the path to my own fall. This place, the 'Eye of the 'Storm,' is at the center of the flood of Darkness overtaking the universe. It's also where Kagi's headquarters and laboratory once rested, but there aren't even ruins left now. Kagi was… more deeply connected to people in general then you can know, he had an immense charisma to him that was undeniable. I met him for the first time well after his reign was finished, but the amount of influence he has yet…

"Kagi didn't experiment with the Darkness of Heart or anything like I did. He didn't want to harm anybody, or cause this war, he was just looking for a way to predict what people would become, what lies in a person's destiny if you will. Kagi was obsessed with the idea of the future, almost totally due to…" Ansem suddenly cut off as a sad look crossed his face and his eyes grew darker with grief. "…Let's just say he had his reasons. It's not my place to speak of it.

"As for why now and why is there conflict? There has always been darkness in the many worlds. Kagi just gave it the means to take a tangible form. It did the rest on it's own, spreading like a disease and killing like one as well. Killing entire worlds… The Heartless are a plague of worlds in the truest sense. After that, Kagi made the decision to take responsibility for what he'd inadvertently released, and created the Keyblade, the weapon made for the sole purpose of cutting down the Darkness." Ansem drew a long breath and didn't say anything else.

"Well," Vincent spoke again "what of the rest of it? The previous Key masters? What did they do and why them? There's also more to this place then you're not telling us." Ansem grinned.

"The previous Keyblade bearers fought the Heartless of course. And as for why them? Well, why any of us?"

"Now you're lying." Riku accused.

"Not entirely!" Ansem waved a gloved finger at the silver-haired boy in a chastising gesture. "I told you Kagi was obsessed with the idea of the future right?"

"But you can't tell us why." Vincent finished. Ansem nodded.

"I could but it's really not my place, but what I can tell you is that his experiments with… fate, I guess you could call it, yielded some outcome." The platinum haired man closed his eyes and shook his head. "Kagi also had more Darkness in his own heart then anyone should have to bear. He did terrible experiments and did something he will never forgive himself for. But what he learned was what became the foundation around the Keyblade. He learned there would be twelve Key masters, as well as many other things." Ansem sighed.

"I've probably said too much that was not my privilege, but I will tell you this: Kagi lost more by ushering the Darkness into being then anyone else. If… _When_ you meet him, try to keep it in mind."

"And this place? I can't feel the Darkness here like I sense you, Sora, and Riku can, but there is something here that strikes a chord in my Heart." Vincent's question was quiet.

"Ah, _you_ would feel this place. When Kagi was just starting his research he took in a bit of a stray: a child barely into puberty. Unfortunately that 'child' was an uncertified genius, with a nasty past and a knack for the Darkness. After Kagi released the Darkness into being and performed all of his chief experiments, that unsavory little urchin stole his notes and fled to another world." Ansem paused in his statement and grinned a truly terrifying smile. "The notes he stole were all about DNA experimentation. Part of Kagi's 'does genetics determine destiny' period. Two people were completely altered in that time, the 'guinea pigs' in those experiments. One I will not speak of, the other I'll come back to, but there was a third project that was fully written up and detailed but never carried out. The urchin fled, as Kagi tells it, making it clear he had every intention to perform the heinous project written within." Ansem's grin hadn't faded yet.

"The thief's name, Vincent Valentine, was Hojo."

"_What!"_ The disbelieving fury in the roared statement by the usually controlled man was almost palpable. "The King of Hearts is responsible for Hojo's actions!" Yuffie tugged on Vincent's cape, trying to get him to calm down, but the gunman was a knot of enraged tension.

"I'm well aware of what dwells within your mind Valentine, and you should know those creatures are derivatives of the Heartless. Not just that either. The second experiment, the one I'm now coming back to, was along similar lines. It was performed on a woman, and consenting though she was, her mind was irreparably damaged and her Heart, though not lost, was steeped in more Darkness then should be possible to experience and live. Both her soul and her body were altered and warped gruesomely" Ansem shook his head.

"What's the purpose of telling us this?" Sora asked quietly. Ansem eyed him and the rest of the group a moment.

"The woman's name before she became a creature was, _is,_ Jenova."

"Wait, the man that created the Keyblade, what is supposed to be a shinning example of what is good and pure in the universe was made by a man that created monsters like J E N O V A, and… and-!" Ansem cut off Riku's angry tirade.

"I told you he'd done terrible things. That he'd tried to take responsibility for what had been done-."

"How can anyone even consider forgiving such acts!" Riku demanded.

"One has to start somewhere." Ansem murmured. "What would you do if you were ever faced with such a predicament Riku? Faced with terrible things you've done and seemingly no way to ever earn forgiveness? Wouldn't you still at least _try_ to lend what little aid you could in hopes that somehow you'd make the situation a little better? That's what Kagi's reasoning was, and so was mine." There was a heavy silence that followed. Sora broke it.

"Alright. That's… that's enough for now. We've all got plenty to think about, and we're all frustrated and angry and our minds probably aren't as clear as they should be for a discussion like this." Riku exhaled heavily.

"You're right. I want to know more, but you're right." He sighed. "I'm confused and angry and exhausted from the battle and all I want to do right now is curl up and sleep till everything's over." Yuffie, who was still hanging off of an angry Vincent, managed a weak laugh.

"Geez, tell us how you really feel!" Everyone sighed, a joke had been made, they were still alive and everything would keep spinning. Cid, who'd been strangely silent throughout the whole affair, nodded.

"I sympathize with the sleepin' part. My vote is we get off this freaky world before somethin' else pops up." He scratched his chin. "Besides, we need to get Aeris indoors where she can recover normally, and I want to make sure no Heartless banged up our Gummi ship sometime durin' that battle." Without looking to see if anyone was following, which they were, he turned and marched the distance back to the ship.

There were a few dents and scraps that Cid swore hadn't been there when they'd landed, but other then that the ship was fine. Sora popped the hatch and jumped inside the cockpit, only to here the com device start ringing.

"Whoa, what timing!" He walked over to the device. "Hey Ansem! This thing says the transmission's coming from Hollow Bastion!"

"Really?" The former Heartless master arched an eyebrow at that and strode over, Eclipse, Cloud, Leon, and Vincent following. Sora spotted Yuffie and Riku maneuvering a still sleeping Aeris awkwardly towards the room the girls had used to sleep.

"Just tell us about it later!" Yuffie hissed as she and Riku disappeared down the hall. Sora nodded, mostly to himself and punched the 'view' button. Vivi's face or lack there of, filled the monitor.

"Vivi! What's going on? Is something the matter?" Sora questioned the young black mage. The fire-wielder nodded frantically and practically burst with what he had to say.

"It's Sephiroth! There's something wrong with Sephiroth!" Sora blinked at that.

"Something wrong…? Is it still the molting thing?" Vivi shook his head hurriedly.

"No! He just suddenly went berserk! I don't know what's going on and I'm scared!" Sora made what he hoped were soothing 'shushing' sounds.

"Calm down. What's going on? What's he doing?"

"He-he's _crying_ Sora!"

"Whoa, wait a minute, _what_?" That was Cloud from somewhere at Sora's back.

"He's crying and screaming and every now and then he'll slash something or blast something and I don't know what to do!" Vivi sounded absolutely terrified.

"Is he saying anything? Can you tell?" Ansem wondered. The black mage nodded.

"Yes, I can hear every word!"

"But what is he saying?" Sora's voice was urgent

"He wants to know why his mother has forsaken him. He wants to know why he can't feel her anymore."

A/N: And chapter 30 is done finally. Sorry again I'm such a procrastinator. Hopefully things will start to flow smoothly again, if they ever did in the first place… I've been too distracted to write anything of any merit for a while now. Some friends of mine and I went to a con for two days, and somehow it fell to me to organize the whole mess among a bunch of people with controlling parents who kept leaving to go on vacation. Also I'm stressed trying to get all my assignments for my classes next year finished, and I've been traveling all over the place visiting colleges. Anyway, it's not an excuse for my absence, just letting you know I haven't been avoiding this.


	31. Chapter the 31st

A/N: Chapter 31 I do believe this is? And w00t! It's not months overdue! I would've updated the other day, but it was my Dad's birthday so I was with him all day. XD We watched Star Trek in the morning so now I can say with utter embarrassment that I know what the hell a Tribble is. Oh, that and Dirge of Cerberus rocks!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

**_Chany_**- O.O wow, I'm your muse? That's really flattering! I'm speechless! Or wordless since I'm typing… That you so, SO much for your praise. I'll do my best to live up to your expectations! And as for the summer work… Sadly, I'm not in Japan, I'm a rising Senior in high school and I'm taking some college-level courses, so I have assignments over the summer to complete. XD and it's no fun!

Fukuju carried a struggling J E N O V A through the doors of their stronghold, through the halls and many rooms, finally entering Dr. Hojo's lab and set her carefully on her feet.

"You won't be distracted by the presence of the Heartless in here my Lady." He told her with a slight bow. She all but snarled at him and slapped his face with ferocious force. It was only a slight reprimand considering what she had the power to truly do, but the message was crystal clear.

"You are a fool. I hope Atosaki told you that before I consumed her." J E N O V A's voice dripped with poisonous anger and hate. Fukuju however, seemed rather undaunted by the actions of his superior. "You must know she's dead now. You four who served her were tied as closely to the Darkness as she was. Surely you can tell she's quite gone." The quietly obedient servant in question merely took J E N O V A's hand in his own as he knelt and kissed her knuckles with respect.

"I'll serve you and your dream faithfully my Lady, regardless of who claim or claim not to be. There is nothing in this universe that can stop the realization of your dream, and likewise there is nothing that can stop me from helping you to achieve it." He raised he head to stare the cruel-faced woman in the eyes. "Atosaki…J E N O V A… It's all the same to me, my Lady."

The woman scowled darkly and yanked her hand free of her subordinate's. She stalked around the room for a moment, seeming to observe her surroundings. She turned to Fukuju again.

"Where have the others gone? And where is that miserable doctor?" J E N O V A ground her teeth slightly. "I remember _him_. He was there when _that monster_ created me. He continued his work and continued to use me after I'd thought I'd earned freedom. I'd _very _much like to have a little talk with him…"

"I'm sure you would Jenova." Hojo's voice cut in as the psychotic doctor stepped into the room. "And I suggest to begin to think of that calling as your name again and not the title of the project that created you. You will find that the J E N O V A project has little relevance to what is in the undertaking now."

"Oh? And what would that be? This little scheme of yours to cover the universe in shadow? To destroy everything and start anew? Rather pathetic and simple, don't you think? I expected something much more complex and obscene from you Hojo." The woman's voice was cold and angry and matched by the rage in her stare. The doctor laughed outright.

"Oh, of course! I forgot even though you've absorbed Atosaki's mind you don't have all of her memories. That is not the extent of our goal by half." His grin was more then a little stomach-churning. "I can only hope I live up to your expectations my dearest Jenova."

"Oh, that it will I assure you lady." All three heads turned to see Nazo, the speaker, and Engi enter the lab with Utagau trailing behind, a scowl plastered on his face. "This guy is as twisted as they get. And if his ideas don't leave you heaving then Darkness knows you deserve each other." The glib man removed his hat a moment to mop his brow with his wrist before replacing the article.

"Oh, come now Nazo. Surely you aren't having any more hindering thoughts? We can't have you slow the plans down any more then you have and I'm sure you remember the consequences clearly." Hojo was still grinning. Nazo's rather expressive face darkened a moment before it returned to its normal careless expression.

"I know doctor. I won't _act_ again, but you'll have to forgive my protests as there's a great deal you're doing I don't agree with." His eyes narrowed a bit and he turned to Jenova. "I don't agree with you in general. Involving you is anything but safe. Even if we _do_ need your cells to control the Darkness." Jenova smirked a rather pleased expression.

"Good, the universe needs a little more chaos. I didn't get half as much pandemonium on the Planet as my son had promised me."

"_Our_ son you mean." Hojo corrected. "And he was a bit of a failure wasn't he?"

"You're referring to Sephiroth aren't you?" Nazo wondered, his stared alternating between them. "Funny to hear you speak of him that way; I'd heard he was quite powerful, and willing to do anything for his Mother." Jenova laughed humorlessly.

"That he was, but in the end it wasn't enough. He disappointed me with his incompetence. He was so willing but _so_ incapable."

"But he was you _son!_ Your own offspring!" Nazo's protests were confused and alarmed.

"And he couldn't accomplish anything." Jenova continued mercilessly.

"He must be dead by now?" Hojo's remark was as casual as Jenova's had been. The woman shook her head.

"He's alive. Damned if I know exactly how." She chuckled lowly. "But I bet right about now he's wishing he was dead." Hojo looked intrigued.

"Oh really? Why is that?"

"I severed ties with him. I believe the term 'disown' would be particularly effective." The doctor laughed at that.

"Wonderful! That should incapacitate him for a very long time, which means one more being we don't have to worry about." Jenova eyed the doctor warily.

"And exactly how many do we have to worry about? There was the group I fought against at that wretched world where I was born, but how many others are there to contend with? And I'm still waiting to hear exactly why I should allow you to keep breathing doctor, as you haven't told me the extent of your goals." Hojo smirked at that, the glare on his glasses masking his eyes.

"Of course Jenova, I'd be _more_ then happy to inform you of our delicate situation." The madman stalked over to one of his computers. "Give me a moment and I'll be right with you." Jenova scowled fearsomely at the doctor's back, but stayed silent. A soft tug at her sleeve captured her attention.

"Jenova, do you remember me?" Engi looked hopefully up into the taller woman's face.

"I have several of Atosaki's memories of you. But they mean little. I'm not the same person your leader was." The boy nodded eagerly.

"I know, I can tell! 'Saki felt like my older sister did before the Darkness killed her and you consumed 'Saki. I loved them both, but they were really bossy." He wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Really? And what do I feel like to you boy?" Jenova asked, knowing exactly where this would lead. Engi adopted a look a hard thought.

"You feel like… Like…" He trailed off a moment before meeting Jenova's eyes wonderingly. "Could I…call you Mother?" The woman did her best to contain the merciless and maliciously pleased smirk that threatened to burst forth. Another child with her cells felt the pull to her side. How utterly… perfect. What a wonderful little reunion this would be.

"Of course Engi. I'd be _honored_." The child beamed and began to babble happily at her, Nazo, and Fukuju who were standing by. All were unaware of Hojo's eyes watching them.

"Are you really going to tell her what we're doing?" The doctor glanced away from the group to see Utagau approaching.

"Of course. She'll leap at the opportunity to cause more devastation, and we're still in need of her power." The white-clad man shook his head, glaring at the bunch.

"How much longer will we need her exactly? I don't want her _or _the others around longer then they have to be." Hojo grinned at those words and without turning away from his computer screen responded:

"Not much longer. Very soon we won't need them at all." Utagau grinned at that, pleased by the response. Hojo then met the other man's eyes.

"Why don't you go and… 'pester' the Prophet hmm? With the way things have changed we need to be sure everything will still flow smoothly, and I know how much you love hurting that miserable wretch." Utagau gave a full toothy smirk, extremely receptive to that idea.

"Wonderful suggestion doctor! I believe it's the perfect remedy for the tension I'm feeling!" With that the white-clad man began to head for the door

"Just don't kill him. We _will _need him in the future." Hojo warned. Utagau was still grinning.

"No need to fret doctor, he'll still have a pulse. Besides I told him early on all he had to do was tell me to stop and the pain would end." Hojo's eyes alighted with malice.

"Oh, you are a terrible man! Saying such things to a person who can neither hear you nor respond!"

"So glad you approve of my methods. Now I will take your suggestion and be off to make sure we don't have to fix any more foiled plans."

Sora paced around the cockpit worriedly, not knowing exactly what to do. The call from Vivi had ended about a half-hour ago with advice that the fire mage should try and keep Sephiroth confined to a single room, but not to get too close in his vulnerable state. The Keyblade master shook his head. What a mess…

What was happening to Sephiroth was undeniable proof that Jenova was up to _something_ and it couldn't be good. Nothing that would come of any of this could be good. In fact, Sora was beginning to wonder how they could possibly succeed.

Oh, he knew they _would_ triumph, they had to, but who knew exactly how long it would take, or how many more people would be hurt. So many had suffered already, in fact Sora wasn't sure there was anyone who hadn't lost something to the Darkness. _What else will I loose?_ The brunet wondered, his thoughts turning to Riku.

He shuddered. Just the prospect of facing life without his best friend made him feel ill. He would have to speak with the silver-haired boy about his new Keyblade soon. Riku only had the Dark half, and risked being consumed, or, now that they'd spoken to Ansem, losing his reign or whatever. The whole thing was just too confusing for one teenager to grasp. Well… that was his excuse anyway…

_Hey, wait a minute…_ Sora suddenly realized he hadn't seen a glimpse of Riku since he'd watched he and Yuffie transfer the exhausted Aeris to one of the rooms. The energetic ninja had reappeared not long after the transmission from Vivi had ended, putting herself to the task of babysitting a still-irritated Vincent, but Riku was nowhere to be seen.

Curious and slightly worried, Sora walked back into the rest of the ship, looking for his errant friend. He peeked first into the room the two of them had shared not long ago, immediately finding whom he'd been looking for. Although at beholding his friend he couldn't stop the warm smile from appearing on his lips.

Riku was asleep, no doubt exhausted from everything that's happened, sprawled all over the place. He was snoring softly and had an arm over his chest, fingers twitching every few seconds, and legs bent akimbo. All in all he made an ideal picture of repose.

Sora tiptoed over to the sleeping body, feeling a faint sense of deja vu, and kneeled down next to the silver-haired boy's head. Still smiling, he gently brushed a few monochrome locks that had fallen over his face and appeared to be tickling his nose. Action completed the hand stilled on Riku's cheek as Sora just stared at his friend's tranquil face.

"We'll fix this Riku." The brunet promised softly. "We'll fix all of it, so no one need worry like we have." And, steeling himself so he wouldn't loose his nerve, Sora dipped his head down and kissed Riku gently on the mouth.

The moment stretched, the blue-eyed teen reveling in the feeling of the pressure against his lips and it's source. It was only when Riku made a happy murmur in his sleep that Sora pulled away.

_Okay now, you've had your moment of selfishness Sora, now leave before he wakes up!_ The brunet's conscience urged. So with a "Pleasant dreams." To his friend he stepped out of the room and back to the cockpit. Cid probably wouldn't appreciate the company, but he had serious matters to consider and Riku would only be a distraction, although an extremely pleasant one.

Sora woke from the nightmare as a hand urgently shook him awake. His limbs felt tense, his head ached, he was covered in sweat, and if the scratchiness on his face was any indication then he'd been crying in his sleep. He looked up, feeling a little lost, at the one who'd woken him to meet Ansem's orange eyes. He looked around a moment before speaking, taking in the dark cockpit, lights dimmed for sleep, and Cid asleep and drooling in the pilot's chair. Must've fallen asleep right where he sat.

"You were having a nightmare." Ansem spoke softly, probably not to wake the other occupant of the room.

"Yeah…" Sora murmured, scrubbing at his irritated eyes. "Yeah, I know."

"So you remember what was going on?" The question was hesitant.

"Vividly." Sora shuddered with the memory. "It was horrible, thank Light no one I knew was the subject or I might be reacquainted with whatever it was I ate last." Ansem looked at the teen strangely.

"You dreamed about people you didn't know?" Sora shook his head.

"No, I knew one of them, the other was a stranger."

"Tell me about it." Ansem urged, and Sora noticed Eclipse was absent.

"It was… well it wasn't necessarily taking place in a torture chamber, but what was going on would've fit right in one." Sora continued to scrub his eyes as he remembered what he'd seen. "The one inflicting the pain was one of the people who showed up today at the battlefield, the one who was dressed in white, whatever-his-name-was. The one who was the recipient was the one I didn't recognize."

"What did the stranger look like?" Sora frowned at the platinum haired man's question and thought a moment.

"He had dark hair, brown or maybe black, I think it was long but it was in such disarray I couldn't tell exactly. He was wearing clothing at some point, but it was so badly kept that it was mostly just dirty rags. His eyes…" Sora trailed off. "His eyes were… endless. The were a brilliant if very pale blue, almost white, and they looked… They looked like they'd seen everything. As if there was nothing those eyes didn't know, nothing they couldn't see. Even through all the pain that was being inflicted by the man in white, those eyes made the soul within seem like it went on forever." Ansem was looking at Sora very strangely now, almost urgently.

"Did the man being tortured… Did he say anything? Did he give information, or something?" Sora shook his head 'no.'

"That's another strange thing. He didn't say anything. Yeah he cried out whenever the torturer would strike at him again, but it sounded more like the cries of an animal or something. You know, an exclamation of pain, but the animal is unable to respond by speaking." Ansem suddenly grabbed his shoulders.

"What happened? What happened then?" Sora blinked, confused by this sudden urgency.

"The man in white grabbed the tortured man's head between his hands. Then he held his eyes open and just stared into them." Sora stopped speaking for at the moment Ansem was up in a flash and quickly pacing about the cockpit, frowning in concentration and muttering to himself.

"It _is_ him. It _must _be!"

"Who is it? You know who they are?" Sora demanded. Ansem's eyes narrowed and his didn't say anything; he just simply stood there and looked frustrated. Finally, Sora, having grown tired of the man's silence, spoke up again.

"If you know who it is Ansem, I have a right to know now. For some reason I dreamed of this man being hurt, and by the way you're acting I'd say there's something pretty significant going on. Now spill!" Ansem's face contorted for a moment into an expression of anger, though it was baseless, not directed at Sora, and he grudgingly answered.

"To tell you anything would be to tell you what I'd not wanted to when we were down on Eye of the Storm. Kagi may have given the Darkness form with his purposeful experiments, but it was that man you saw being tortured in your dream that is the sole reason he wanted to change what happened."

"What are you talking about?" Sora whispered, suddenly feeling like he was being let privy to a very important secret, one he couldn't comprehend.

"The man you saw was the other being Kagi hurt with his experiments; someone he'd never intended to harm in anyway; someone who, once he realized what he'd done, was worth Kagi's sanity and conscience. That person you saw in your sleep…" Ansem trailed off, hand over his mouth either in an expression of extreme emotion or lack of the right way to explain. "Kagi thought he was dead. We all did." The orange-eyed man was now speaking in a whisper.

"Who is he Ansem? What is going on?" Sora urged gently, sensing somehow that he was standing at the precipice of something greatly important.

"His name is Roasha. And he's the reason that the Keyblade, Hell, the only reason we have a fighting chance against the Darkness, exists at all."

A/N: And that's it, so sorry. Well, Next chapter you'll finally find out what's up with Kagi and it will be revealed if he's trouble or not. Not that it matters much because now we're only a few chapters away from the _real_ Sora/Riku rewards! And you thought I'd never deliver!


	32. Chapter the 32nd

A/N: Chapter 32. Whoo - freakin' hoo. Sorry this is late, I can't seem to be on time :( but school is back in session and I've been up to my neck in work. You ever have one of those experiences when it feels like all the bad karma you've accumulated comes crashing down? Yeah, that's what life has been. I burned the hell outta my hand trying to make a sandwich (don't ask), might have arthritis or something screwy in my joints (I'm in freakin' highschool), and I took the SAT not three days ago and if I don't improve my previous score I probably won't get into the college that I actually kind of enjoy. That's not relating all the little things that went wrong, or we'd be here all day.

Anyhow, thanks to S'Star for their review and the reminder that, hey I haven't updated and people are counting on me. I'm really sorry. Blah! So here you go, enjoy!

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last Time: **"His name is Roasha. And he's the reason that the Keyblade, Hell, the only reason we have a fighting chance against the Darkness, exists at all."**

"Roasha?" Sora murmured, testing the unfamiliar name. "If he's as important as you say, then why did you leave him out?"

"Because of who he is to Kagi. You have to understand something before I can _really_ speak of it. Everything, and I mean _everything_, somehow depends on either Kagi, or more likely: Roasha. It's an extremely sensitive issue, and though somehow everyone knows about what happened, the past is really Kagi's business alone. As such we're all reluctant to speak of it. Having the creator of both the Darkness and the Keyblade angry with you is a _bad_ idea." Ansem paused a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"Roasha, before the Darkness was unleashed, was a neutral heart, neither inclined towards Light or Darkness, at _all_. Something that, I'm sure you realize, is very rare. Now, Kagi and Roasha were close before anything of historic significance happened; best friends in fact."

"Must've been a close friendship. I mean, for everything that's happened because of them…" Sora wondered. Ansem smiled indulgently.

"They were friends like you and Riku are." Sora blushed.

"T-they were in love?"

"Kagi loved Roasha, but I can't say if it was reciprocated, or even if Roasha knew. Now, this secrecy or benign rejection, whatever it was, put even more strain on Kagi's Darkness-prone heart. And you know what eventually happened: Kagi lost his mind and succumbed to do what the shadows wanted with him, tinkering with fate and trying to find out exactly how a person's destiny works, and irreparably harming a number of people along the way. Include Kagi's dear Roasha. Do you see yet where this is going?"

"Uh, no." Ansem sighed at Sora's blunt reply.

"Roasha became the victim of one of Kagi's more horrible experiments. In his madness, Kagi drastically altered Roasha, not entirely bodily, but mostly altered his mind and heart. After it was over, Roasha… Well, I wouldn't wish on anyone what happened to him.

"He lost his ability to hear and speak, leaving him a deaf-mute. But what happened with his eyesight, ah, that's the real killer. Roasha can see everything. Literally everything: the past, the present, and any number of possible futures. He became a seer or prophet if you prefer, gazing ahead to what can be and what has been when he loses his anchor to the present. He can now see what can happen to destiny. Those eyes of his… He really doesn't need to speak with his mouth. His eyes can say it all on their own. And to think, most people only use the 'eyes of the soul' as a metaphor." Ansem heaved a great sigh.

"After the act had been done, Kagi realized what kind of deed he'd committed against his closest friend. And although Roasha forgave him for everything with a mercy I've never heard of matched, Kagi desperately sought a way to fix the wrongs his experiments had wrought, but to no avail until Hojo ran off with his work. That was when Roasha had his first real vision: he saw a salvageable future in a weapon to be called the Keyblade, and the twelve who would wield it.

"He saw…_everything_. That's how we know the card title that goes with the Keyblade master, that Kagi was to be the King of Hearts and first Keyblade master, how we know that the one to reign after you and Riku will be a girl, the Queen of Hearts. Light, we know how everything is supposed to _end!_ After the Queen of Hearts reigns there will be four who will stop the shadows once and for all. Kagi called them the 'aces' in jest, but I think there's a good deal of sense in that."

"Wait… You mean, Riku and I won't stop the Darkness?" Sora voice was alarmed.

"No, I'm afraid not. You'll do your part, as all before you have done, and then the Keyblade will go to the next in line. You will see the end of the war, we all will, but you won't have any hand in it at the end." Ansem's voice was quiet. "That's one of the hardest things about being keeper of the Key. The knowledge that even though you're doing everything conceivable, it won't be enough and another will have to take the stand." Sora had buried his face in his hands.

"So it was all for nothing?"

"No! Not nothing! Everything you've done has a purpose and a role in what is to come. You and Riku just aren't the final chapter of the story." There was an awkward pause. "Anyhow…" Ansem laughed a little. "It's funny, everything began with the King of Hearts. The words sound a lot like 'Kingdom Hearts' don't they? The King of Hearts was the beginning of the war, and Kingdom Hearts is the beginning of the Worlds the war rages through. It's almost poetic in a cruel sort of way." Sora rubbed his eyes.

"I don't get one thing though. If this Roasha can see the future sometimes, then why didn't he see what would happen to you? To warn you and prevent it? Why didn't he see Atosaki, or J E N O V A, or whatever she calls herself and her followers?" Ansem sighed.

"I could tell you that it was all part of the future as it's supposed to happen, but I'd be lying. The truth is that Roasha disappeared shortly after I became the Keyblade master. Neither I nor anyone else was warned of what was going to pass. You see, no one knows where Roasha is. He just _vanished_ one day."

"Did he leave?" Sora wondered. Ansem shook his head negatively.

"Why would he bother to forgive Kagi if he was only going to abandon him later? Why bother telling us of his visions if he wasn't going assure their coming to pass. No, all of us, who've previously wielded the Keyblade, Kagi himself most vehemently, suspected some sort of foul play. Unfortunately, we'd no notion of who took him, where he is now, or even how to find him if that's possible. And it's not like any of us have the time or resources to do a full universal search."

"So, that's it then? You just have to settle for the fact that he's gone?" Sora wondered in small, sad voice. Ansem grinned suddenly, with a strange and slightly disturbing ferocity.

"That was how it was _before_. Not so now." He turned a smirk at Sora. "I think that dream of yours was one of Roasha's visions, sent to you, the current most powerful Keyblade wielder, as a cry for help. After all, now's really the first opportunity he's had. I was lost, and before now you were too deep in your search for Riku and Kairi." Sora eyes widened in realization.

"And because that guy in white was there…" Sora began.

"…We know that J E N O V A's goons have got him." Ansem finished. Sora grinned widely for a moment, before a defeated look crossed his face.

"But we don't know where they are." He murmured. Ansem grinned again, this time a little mischievously.

"I wouldn't worry about _that._ All we have to do is tell Kagi who it is that's keeping Roasha, keeping Roasha under _cruelty_ at that, and I can guarantee you there won't be a force in this universe that will be able to stop him from finding the imprisoned prophet." Sora's eyes widened.

"Seriously? He'll be that determined to find him?" Ansem rolled his eyes softly at Sora's response.

"I told you their relationship was like yours and Riku's didn't I? And you went on a universal search to find him." The blue-eyed teen blushed a little at that.

Suddenly an insistent beeping sounded from the helm, cutting off Sora's conversation with Ansem and effectively waking the slumbering Cid with not a few curses. The Keyblade bearer had to admire the speed with which Cid went from being soundly asleep to typing away at the Gummi ship's controls.

"What's going on?" Sora wondered as he rose from his chair to stand next to the blonde.

"It's just the damn radar tellin' us that we're almost there." He grumbled. "Ansem'll have to tell me if this is right though. He's the one who input the damn coordinates to the auto-pilot." The former Heartless master approached the pilot and the Key bearer to study the screen of the radar.

The blip representing the ship was almost on top of the one that Sora assumed was their destination.

The orange-eyed man changed his view to the window at the bow of the ship. "Cid, you can _see_ our destination already, you'll have to hurry and prepare for docking." Cid swore.

"I can't see a Goddamned thing! There's nothin' there but space!" Ansem sighed at the frustrating blonde.

"Look there, you see where the stars just seem to stop, and there's a blank patch of space?" Cid squinted at the screen, Sora following suit.

"Yeah I see yer' blank patch. What of it?"

"That our destination. It's just very dark, get a little closer and you'll be able to see it better. Just be sure not to crash."

"I won't crash the goddamn ship! Shut 'yer trap and sit down!" Ansem didn't say anything, but he didn't sit either. True to the platinum haired man's words, soon the suspiciously blank area of space took a more definite outline, and then it became clear what it was.

A giant, black castle, formed from stone as stark and black as space itself, the only thing making it visible was the faint light of distant worlds reflecting off it. Great, fearsome spires spiraled out of the main body of the structure, giving an appearance as if it were a great armored beast, sound asleep, waiting for someone to wake it up. It made Sora very, very uncomfortable.

"You'll have to fly around the edge of the world until you find where Kagi hid the entrance to the Gummi-bay. That'll be the only way to reach the interior. Ever since Hojo the King of Hearts has been paranoid about unwanted intruders. With only one way in and out it's very easy to keep track of guests." Ansem told them quietly.

The three sat in silence for a moment as Cid maneuvered easily around the mammoth, black structure. Then, as the ship was rounding a particularly nasty spire pointing out to the side they caught sight of the entrance, which, in the dim light looked to be nothing more then a hole in the structure. It was small, barely large enough for a single ship to squeeze through. Cid, swearing up a storm, managed with skill that looked easy.

The entrance quickly opened from a narrow passage to a chamber that was enormous. The ceiling was held up by great ribbed supports, with gargoyle statues perched around, looking almost as if a flock had taken up roost. The room was so large that it looked to be able to easily hold dozens of ships. There were actually three already docked, each one with a greatly individual look to them. Both Sora and Cid questioned Ansem if there was anyone else here. The orange-eyed man stayed silent for a moment.

"I believe so. The one dark ship at the end belongs to Kagi himself. The one with the chocobo designs belongs to Shukumei, the Jack of Spades. I swear that man has an obsession with those things… The one with the intricate rose patterns belongs to Ame, the Queen of Clubs."

"So they're ex-Keyblade masters?" Sora wondered. Ansem nodded, understanding the question beneath what the brunet was asking.

"Yes. They're allies. You don't need to worry about that." Sora nodded and then turned to Cid.

"You might as well go ahead and dock the ship. Ansem and I will go and get everyone else up." Sora straightened from where he'd been leaning towards the bow window. He 'heard' the call Ansem sent to Eclipse (wherever he was) mentally to the Destati to wake Cloud and Leon. Sora had to giggle at that. Light knew what _those_ two had gotten themselves into. Ansem went after Yuffie and Aeris' room, both to wake the ninja and check on the exhausted healer. Sora then went to the room he and Riku had shared, which was now occupied by Riku and Vincent.

The gunslinger woke as soon as Sora entered the room, his red eyes fixed on the teen. Sora jerked his head in motion towards the cockpit. Without saying a word or making a sound the haunted man complied.

Left alone with Riku, Sora wandered over to his friend's side and shook the silver-haired boy's shoulder gently. Riku mumbled and batted at Sora's hand irritably. Sora had to smile.

"C'mon Riku. Time to get up." The turquoise-eyed teen groaned and opened his beautiful, if a bit groggy, eyes.

"Wassit?" he wondered. "Sora?"

"Get up Riku, we've got to get back to work."

"Work? What?" Sora grinned at his sleepy friend.

"We made it Riku. We've arrived at Shadow Bastion."

A/N: That's all for chapter 32. As things are standing right now we're looking at maybe seeing some lead-in S/R stuff the chapter after next, and if that happens then the one after _that_ will be as much goopy slash as I can write. Once that's been taken care of we'll be moving towards the FF9 involvement (thought I'd forgotten didn't ya?)


	33. Chapter the 33rd

A/N: ARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! If you're wondering why I died then there's actually a reason for it: MY COMPUTER CRASHED. I mean the hard-drive BLEW. I LOST EVERYTHING. I couldn't even get it fixed because my parents, in their infinite wisdom, decided that, hey, I should just wait to get a laptop instead of fixing my old thing. Well, guess what? That fell through and I kept getting excuses, but nothing to help. So now, I'm on my brother's virus-ridden POS, which loads as it if were being powered by snails. I'm not kidding, and I want to kill something. I apologize for the inconvenience, things will be slowing down, but I WILL update! Jeez, waiting for me to update must be like waiting for Godot…

**THIS HAS YAOI/SHOUNEN AI, WHICH MEANS IT CONTAINS MALE/MALE RELATIONSIPS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS THEN DON'T READ IT, CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLAME ME IF YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO READ THIS WARNING!**

Last Time: **"We made it Riku. We've arrived at Shadow Bastion."**

Everyone was assembled in front of the Gummi ship, right on the dock itself. There were large double doors made of black stone leading from the docking bay into the rest of the structure. Being as they were the only ones who'd been here before, Ansem and Eclipse were the only ones who knew their way around the foreboding castle, and since everything was now depending on their sense of direction, Sora wanted to make sure everyone was on the same level as far as information was concerned, being as they could soon not have the chance to inform the rest of the party. _Well, first things first._ The brunet sighed and turned to the now conscious Aeris.

"A lot has been uncovered since you've been out." Sora began, unsure of where to start the whole convoluted explanation. Thankfully, Aeris shook her head and replied favorably.

"Eclipse gave me the highly paraphrased version when he woke Yuffie and I. I think I've got a fairly decent idea what's going on." Sora sighed.

"Well thank Light for small miracles." He regarded the rest of the motley group, and then turned a questioning glance at Ansem, who nodded in affirmation. The brunet sighed again and plowed onward. "Something else has come to light since Eye of the Storm." He admitted carefully, knowing that Kagi's personal business or not, Roasha's existence was too important to omit.

"Ansem's revealed the existence of someone also involved with this mess. They, like Vincent, were the result of one of the King of Heart's research and experiments. His name was Roasha, and he was a close friend of Kagi's before and after what was done to him." Sora stared at the floor a moment, before returning his eyes to the group. "He was made into a deaf-mute and granted the ability of foresight, and, as of last night, we know he's being held captive by J E N O V A's henchmen."

"So you want to go rescue this prophet?" Leon wondered quietly. Sora scratched his head.

"Well, yeah, but that's not what I was getting at. Apparently Kagi's desperate to find him. We can use this information to make sure the King of Hearts aids us. Also, if we did get this Roasha person back, then we may be able to see what J E N O V A and the others are going to do before they do it."

"And as long as Roasha remains in their grasp they can use that against us." Ansem reminded everyone solemnly.

"And it's the right thing to do." Sora interjected. Cid groaned.

"Thanks kid. Turn on the guilt."

"Well, Kagi's a far too smug, stuck-up bastard to come to us, so we'll have to find him." Ansem said with irritated growl. He beckoned to Eclipse and the two started off through the large doors, everyone following in their wake. The halls were dark, the only visibility provided by an almost gray, twilight haze as some form of illumination reflected off the translucent, black gargoyles lining the corridors. Sora placed himself next to Riku and as they were at the back of the group, spoke to him quietly.

"How are you feeling?" The brunet wondered. The silver-haired boy blinked confusedly.

"I'm fine, Sora. Why? Is there something wrong?" The younger teen shook his head.

"No, not really. It's just that only got your Keyblade only a little while ago, and it was your dark one at that. I'm just worried about your light-to-dark balance." Sora sighed, and ran his fingers over the scars on his arms. "I'm really scared what happened to me might happen to you." Riku smiled softly at his best friend's worry.

"Hey, if it bothers you that much then I won't use it." Sora shook his head.

"I can't ask that of you. Besides, you're _supposed_ to be wielding that Key." He reached into his shirt and tugged out the cord with his other Key chains. "Here. You're a Key master too now, so you're entitled to use these just as much as me. Pick a few." Riku's eyes got a bit wider and he grasped the charms almost reverently. Very, very carefully, he selected two Key chains: The Pumpkinhead and the Metal Chocobo.

"Thanks." He whispered. Sora nodded and handed him one other Key chain.

"Here." Riku blinked curiously as he accepted the third chain, and gasped softly when he recognized it.

"Sora! This is Shadow Banisher! This is the one you made! I can't take this!" The brunet shook his head.

"No, I want you to have it. Maybe it'll make me feel better about having you in this mess if there's something I put my best efforts in protecting you." Riku's face reddened a little, but he smiled anyhow.

"Thanks Sora." The brunet grinned and they continued to walk in silence.

Having heard Sora's brief conversation with Riku through the mental link, Ansem smirked to himself.

_**"I'm not sure there were ever two people destined to be together as much as those boys, Eclipse."**_ The former Heartless master admitted to his guardian telepathically.

_**"Oh? It's not that I don't agree with you, but what's your reasoning? Exaggerations are not a good idea, no matter how isolated the matter."**_ The Destati replied, floating sedately beside his guarded.

_**"Well, for one thing, take a look at them! I mean blind men will see the sheer sense of connection! Second, you know they're both useless without the other. The only reason Sora was been able to travel through so many worlds and battle so many opponents was the hope of finding Riku again. Now they are each other's reason to keep fighting: if one of them falls then the one that remains won't be far behind.**_

_**"Thirdly, I have a strong hunch that once Riku truly comes into his powers that those two will function closer to a single Keyblade master then two separate ones. Take a look at the names of their personal Keys, the dark ones represent what their bearer is to the bearer of the other. Padlock for Sora because he 'locks' Riku into fighting the war beside him, and Locksmith for Riku because he crafts Sora into what he is; he defines how far he'd be willing to go to save the other."**_

_**"And the Hallowed Crystal? What of the Light Key?"**_ Eclipse wondered, causing Ansem to chuckle aloud.

_**"Ah, Hallowed Crystal: something beautiful and sacred, yet fragile and many-faceted, with the ability to alter the one who has it and destroy so very much." **_He chuckled again. _**"The Hallowed Crystal is a metaphor for love, Eclipse. It's as simple as that. Hmm, makes you wonder what Riku's Keyblade of Light will be?"**_ The guardian didn't say anything, only projecting a contented feeling at Ansem.

No one said anything after that really; Cid basically ignored everyone, puffing on a cigarette. Yuffie stuck close to Vincent; the ninja looking at every little thing as if it might jump to life and eat her, while the sharpshooter kept his eyes straight ahead. Cloud and Leon didn't say a word to one another, but the blonde's hand was trapped inescapably within Leon's own larger one, fingers interlaced. Aeris walked in silence, an introspective expression of her face, no doubt reviewing everything she'd been told in a rush. Sora and Riku continued in companionable silence, as Ansem and Eclipse led them farther into the dark structure.

The hallways continued to stretch, seemingly endless. The former Heartless master and his Destati leading the way, though they didn't appear to be paying great attention to their surroundings. The walk was mindless, and soon, no matter how suspicious one was, the mind began to wander.

Then, thankfully, the group came upon a giant set of doors, created from a black stone with a glassy sheen. Above it was a piece of overly ornate art, carved from another piece of black stone that depicted two Keyblades. One was dark and foreboding, a shackle shaped Key chain dangling from its hilt, the other held a certain hopeful presence that the other was without, and its chain was a simple crown. Upon the doors themselves was another ornamentation, in the familiar resemblance of the Kingdom Key.

"Well, here we are." Ansem responded with an anticlimactic sigh. He turned to Sora and Riku. "The depictions of the Keys above the door were Kagi's two: The King's Wrath and The King's Mercy."

"How do we get in? There's no handle. Do we knock?" Yuffie wondered, but Ansem snorted.

"No. Kagi knows we're here. However, as he _is_ the lord here, he feels as though he can take his sweet time." As if those were passwords the two doors swung open heavily, admitting the group to the dark chamber within.

"I know you're all worried about how things will progress." Sora told them all in a hushed but hurried voice. "But I ask that you do your best to let Ansem and I handle the conversation."

"And keep in mind what I told you before: he has become what he has made himself to be." Ansem murmured. Carefully the party entered a large room. The ceilings were again vaulted and ribbed, though this time there were no gargoyles. It was what appeared to be an audience chamber, with most of the room empty except for a dais in the center of the room with a large almost throne-like chair perched atop it. The figure within the chair caused everyone to stop and stare, Yuffie gasped but the others were far too shocked at the figure's appearance.

He was young, surprisingly so, looking no older then his late twenties, and reminding Sora of Ansem's statement about not aging. His hair was black, so much that it almost didn't seem to reflect any light at all. His skin was pale and his mouth was drawn into a comfortable smirk. His cloths were of a very odd cut: black and gray ran together with blues for much of the cloth; he wore a jacket that seemed to be all sleeves and the edges of the body didn't fall below his rib cage. His shirt was a heavy mesh material, and his pants were a stark black color. He wore heavy boots strapped above his ankles.

But what were really shocking were his eyes. They were a perfect mirror of a Heartless' eyes. Sora heard Eclipse projecting through his mind.

_**"And so the King of Hearts, who corrupted the hearts of others, has gain proof of his Heartlessness."**_ The cinnamon-haired Key bearer knew that there was nothing he could say in response.

"Welcome to Shadow Bastion." Kagi said, a grin planted firmly on his face and the statement accompanied by a wave of the hand to include everything around them.

"Kagi." Ansem nodded politely. The King of Heart's grin deepened.

"Welcome back O' King of Clubs! Been quite a while since we've been face to face, though I do seem to recall having a conversation with your Guardian not too long ago." Ansem's yes narrowed, but he kept his mouth shut.

"But, come a little closer, we can't do introductions like this! Pretending as though we were all at odds with one another! Last I checked we were fighting for the same cause." Kagi stood, proving him to be about 5'10''.

"Last _I_ checked Kagi we all knew who one another was. I doubt introductions will be necessary." Ansem's voice was cold. Kagi chuckled.

"True, true, King of Clubs, oh so true. But then, I wasn't referring to all of you and I, but rather you're little party needs to be introduced to my other two visitors." Ansem abruptly stood a little straighter.

"They're in this room?"

"Of course! How rude of you to ignore them! But they were standing out of sight, so I suppose it can't be helped." Kagi extended both his arms out wide and gestured forward, as if he was calling up a great group or someone far off. Two people emerged from the shadow behind his throne.

"May I introduce Ame, the Queen of Clubs," he gestured to a woman at his left with wavy honey-colored hair, hazel eyes, wearing a gray and green dress, which dropped to her knees and pants underneath "and Shukumei, Jack of Spades."

Sora blinked, and took a hard look at the male newcomer. He took in the young appearance, the straight black and blue hair, the gold eyes, and the 'J' marking on his cheek. He looked really familiar, but where had he seen him? Then the memory tumbled upon him and he gasped loudly, drawing the attention of everyone.

"You're the man from Halloween Town! The one who told me the Heartless would be coming!"

"Wait, you met him before?" Ansem questioned.

"You didn't mention it?" Riku asked. Sora shrugged helplessly.

"It didn't seem to important at the time, and I forgot about it not too long after." Ansem nodded suddenly, as if affirming something.

"I see. It was the two of you who lured Atosaki and the Heartless to Halloween Town. She mentioned sensing two others." Ame nodded.

"We were, and it was due to Kagi's orders, as I've no doubt you suspect."

"And why am I not surprised he didn't bother telling us?" Ansem drawled, shooting a lazy glare at the still-smirking man. Kagi shrugged.

"What can I say. You should know better by now." Ansem's orange eyes rolled in annoyance and he turned to Sora.

"I can't put up with him for much longer, and he's just going to get vaguer. You might as well tell him now so we can get on with what needs to be addressed."

"Oh? You have something rather unexpected to tell me? What makes you think I'm so ill-informed?" Kagi wondered, tapping his chin lightly with a forefinger. Ansem smirked, something he relished being able to do at Kagi.

"Because if you knew you'd already be doing something." The Heartless-eyes widened slightly in surprise. There was a momentary lull, and Sora took that moment to step forward, making sure all attention, especially Kagi's was focused on him.

"Your highness," He began, knowing it was probably best to begin with courtesy, no matter how frustrating the elder Key-wielder was. "Last night I had what I thought to be a nightmare, but after relating it to Ansem," He nodded at the former Heartless master "I was told it was a plea for help from someone that the enemy has captured."

"And you're certain that this matters to me?" Kagi wondered loftily, flopping back in his throne with his legs tossed over an arm of the giant chair. He jumped back to his feet with Sora's next words.

"Yes. Ansem tells me his name is Roasha."

"Roasha?" Kagi's voice was surprisingly rough, as though he was trying to stop from sobbing, and his tone was that of utmost desperation. "You mean _my_ Roasha? You've seen him? He's alive?" Sora nodded.

"If my dream was truth, then yes, he's alive, but in desperate need of help." Kagi sat down heavily in his chair, head in his hands.

"Oh, my poor Roasha…" he whispered quietly to himself. He sat a moment more before rising to his feet and straightening his posture to his full height. He looked Sora squarely in the eyes and spoke with the utmost seriousness.

"As you wish King of Spades, King of Clubs, and Jack of Diamonds. I will give you whatever aid I can provide, as will any of the other Keyblade-bearers, so long as Roasha is endangered. And firstly, I want to make sure you both know what to do with that Key. I want to make sure you both can use that weapon to it's utmost potential."

A/N: That's it for that chapter. Next one's on the way, so long as nothing blows up, or catches fire, or…hell I don't know! Thanks for reading!


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